Life is Strange: Legacy of an Empire
by Luke Macek
Summary: The Dark Empire, an union of fragmented Imperial Remnant and vicious First Order, started a new Galactic Civil War, toppling over the supremacy of the New Republic, forcing it to become the Rebel Alliance once again. Seems the young Max Caulfield is just a small piece in a bigger picture...
1. The Cast

**Ian McDiarmid** as Emperor Palpatine

 **Adam Driver** as Kylo Ren

 **Harrison Ford** as Han Solo

 **Carrie Fisher** as Princess Leia

 **Anthony Daniels** as C-3P0

 **David Mayhew** as Chewbacca

 **Sir Alec Guinness** as Ben Kenobi

 **Frank Oz** as Yoda

 **Mark Hamill** as Luke Skywalker

 **Hugh Jackman** as Kyle Katarn

 **Domhnall Gleeson** as General Hux

 **Ralph Fiennes** as Grand Admiral Thrawn

 **Sean Connery** as Gilad Pellaeon

 **Ray Park** as Darth Maul

 **Ryan Gosling** as Theo Dameron

 **Oscar Isaacs** as Poe Dameron

 **Michael Caine** as Kral Drayson

 **John Boyega** as Finn

 **Daisy Ridley** as Rey

 **Hannah Telle** as Max Caulfield

 **Ashly Burch** as Chloe Price

 **Nik Shrinner** as Nathan Prescott


	2. Chapter One: Abducted!

**_ACT ONE - LIFE IS STRANGE: THE FORCE AWAKENS_**

The sky was dark. The stars just started to appear and a few already fallen down. The air became clear.

Max slowly regained conciousness. From the last while she was aware she could remember were only a few: Rachel's body. A sting in the neck. Chloe shot in the head...that thought caused more pain to Max's body than the drug. And...Jefferson?

That was unclear. She couldn't see well for the moment as well. But all what she could see were two white bodies walking into the forest. Max could recognize she was dragged. Either by legs and arms or on a cart that was pointless.

When Maxine looked on a left side, she saw a blurry figure of a green-plated soldier, maybe that famous galactic bounty hunter...

"Stop." A deep and scary voice stopped all the figures. The figures started to be sharper.

The white troops along with the black and green figure revealed to Max's hurt sight.

Is that...Boba Fett?...And stormtroopers...so that black figure must be...

"Lord Vader." said Boba Fett to alert his superior. When his voice silenced by the helm ended, the Sith Lord came closer to the bounty hunter and the army escort.

Stormtroopers saluted to Vader like he was their general.

"What is this, Fett?" questioned the Dark Lord his loyal bounty hunter and pointed with his black gloved finger on Max, still trying to find out what's going on there in her mind.

Fett's helmet turned to clash with Max's sight. "A girl we found on the junkyard, an only survivor, my lord."

One of the stormtroopers inspected his E-11 blaster when Vader continued the questioning.

"Any witnessess, trooper?" asked the Dark Lord the inspecting Stormtrooper. The trooper clapped his heels and started to report.

"Just one glassed moron trying to abduct this human, but Fett did a short process with him. There was also a woman, blue hair and rebel clothes, but she was dead before we arrived, my lord." finished the Stormtrooper his report and turned his sight elsewhere.

Then Fett took something of his packed belt. It looked like a small disc and the bounty hunter showed it to the Sith Lord, clearly curious what happened. "One of my probe droids recorded the whole scene on the scrapyard before your troops arrived there, Lord Vader." Then Fett pushed a button on a device and the horrible scene was played.

Max already saw the scene on her own eyes: looking on her as Jefferson sneaked behind her and pinched her in the neck by the needle full of drugs. Falling on the ground, unable to rewind, warning Chloe, then a shot in her head...it stroke Max with the new level of pain what she never felt before.

But it continued and Max concentrated her sight on a hologram, although it started to obfuscate again...

When Jefferson was slowly reaching Max on the ground, an arming of a blaster was heard. "What the-?" Jefferson asked to himself, but before he could rise up and take out his gun, a laser shot tore through the murderer's skin, skull and head, right between the eyes. Then Boba Fett entered the scene and gestured an army hand move for "move forward" and four Stormtroopers entered the scene. They just took Max unconcious on a medical mobile bed and took her away.

"Interesting." said Vader with a tension in his voice and turned his scary sight onto Max's weak body. Then his head turned onto the stars and the skies.

"I sense something, a presence I have not felt since..." Vader said to himself, despite Fett and all the four stormtroopers heard it clearly, so did Max.

"Umm, lord Vader?" A questioned stormtrooper dared to ask the Dark Lord, although he knew he risked his throat being broken by Vader's Force Grip. "What should we do with the woman?"

Vader slowly turned his head back to the consort and responded quickly: "Take her to that old barn, we set up a Forward Command there. Restrain her in my personal quarters. I intend to question her, alone."

Fett and the troops only nodded, knowing it is not wise to oppose the Sith's wish nor order and continued. Max concentrated on Vader, like she saw a familiar face. But it resulted in losing conciousness again...


	3. Chapter Two: A Vision From The Past

Right after Max opened her eyes again, she was standing up. She felt weird. All the black around her, while she stood up in her casual clothes in the middle as a lighthouse.

And her feelings? Even more weird and strange. Thinkng of looking into Jefferson's hateful face and then clash with Vader's mask. She knew all the stuff - Stormtroopers, Boba Fett - are fictional. But why those thing are real? What the hell was happening?

"The Dark Side...and the Light..." a mysterious voice started to make its place in Max's head. Its deepness scared her and not only the voice - a scarred hooded face appeared at front of Max from the dark clouds, big as a house. Its skin was from white to light yellow, the eyes turbid in yellow and orange.

The mysterious face continued in tormenting Maxine with riddles: "Come back, my child...My Hand..."

Max was confused at the moment. What was reality? Who was the man who called her "My Hand"? And why is this happening to her?

Suddenly, the face dispersed into the air and revealed the appartment. Futuristic furniture, walls coloured into common beige and a blasted great hole with markings of blaster fire and Lightsaber strikes. One body, a man, was lying dead on a ground, headless. And another one, a woman, was floating in the air, gripped by an unknown power.

They were familar to Max. After seconds of mixed thoughts, she was stroke by pain, fear and panic at the same time - they were her parents.

Maxine slowly approached the bodies and slowly turned into her 13 years old self. She was more and more balancing on the edge of craziness.

And when she expected it the least, the surrounding dark clouds shaped a massive figure at a front of her. A dark cloak from the shoulders to the floor, black skiny boots to the knees, creepy massive chest. Holding the woman's neck with the tight grip in its left hand and a red light coming from its right hand.

Vader.

"I do not..." tried the floating woman to tell something to the dark figure, but her throat hurt so much from Darth Vader's grip so much she couldn't speak either clearly or even.

"I know there is a Force user in your vicinity. The Emperor ordered his transport to Coruscant immediately!" came from the Dark Lord's mark with such a dark tone like he knew Max was standing right behind him. She, scared to death, made a few steps backwards.

"He...died...several days ago...drowned..."said Max's mother, pain in her voice was obvious. She hoped to get Vader away as soon as she could.

The effect was only Vader raising his lightsaber into a deadly slash.

"Then now, you will share his fate!" Vader answered and prepared to strike down Max's mother with one swift stroke.

"NO!" Maxine shouted. Then a miracle happened: Vader's grip over his own weapon loosened and the lightsaber went directly into Max's hand. Without being cut in half or losing her arms, the hilt of this deadly device hit fell in her drawn arm like she was a Jedi Master. Max looked surprised, even when she saw Vader looking on her.

"Hmm, a daughter..." Vader said to himself.

"Run Max, RUN!" shouted the woman as loud as she could. The waterfall of cries erupted from her eyes afterwards.

Without a hesistation, a Sith Lord crushed woman's throat easily, put her on the ground and then slowly reached Max. Why he didn't use Force Grip to kill Max aswell, was unknown to her.

Suddenly, a group of Stormtroopers, led by an old Imperial Officer, rushed into the appartment and looked surprised on Max with a lightsaber in her hand and their static superior, Darth Vader. They both looked on the incoming troopers.

"Lord Vader." The officer said hardly with his hand on a throat and coughing. It seemed like he ran all the way to them.

Without any order, the troopers aimed their blasters on Max like they were told long ago. The officer put his hands behind his back and smiled on the Dark Lord, feeling happy their work will be done in a second.

Darth Vader looked at first at the soldiers, then in a second turned his sight to Max. It wasn't clear if he was concerned or glad, thanks to his mask, but Max felt like he was choosing something.

Looking into Stormtroopers' E-11s, Maxine felt a hand of Death on her shoulder. Seeing Chloe die is a one thing, but standing in a certain face of death, formed by the weapons of Imperial enforcers, is another. Max didn't feel her legs, despite she hadn't fell to ground already. She was, incomprehensible for her, still holding Vader's lightsaber.

Stormtroopers, without any order from an old officer, pushed the trigger and a series of blaster lasers emerged from their weapons. Suddenly, the lightsaber left Max's right hand and ended in it's original owner's - Darth Vader - hand. Then, without any explanation, he parried all the blasters targeted on Max and killed all the Stormtroopers, as well the surprised officer, whose head rolled outside.

Max reached her forehead, because a big headache stroke her. Blood started to pour from her nose, Max risked losing consciousness again.

Vader approached Maxine and before her eyes closed and she fell into into a swoon, he said with a fatherly voice: "Come with me. More will be here soon."

Then, the world was filled with dark black again...


	4. Chapter Three: The Dark Room I

Max opened her eyes slowly, feared from what she will again. First the fictional troops capture her, then some old man plays tricks with her inside her own mind.

But Max made it clear for the moment: Her parents are safe, in Seattle. And promised to her, and to Chloe, she will not submit to any kind of torture.

When the light got into Maxine's eyes, she could look where is she actually. With the look of the room, she was confused: The Imperials took her to the Dark Room, in the same room under the old barn where she and Chloe found out about the victims of Jefferson and Rachel's fate. This thought hit Max with sadnesss and despair.

But when she realized she had been restrained looked how, it was curiosity who took the lead in Maxine's brain: her hands and legs were cuffed by handcuffs in a forcefield, so it seemed like she was levitating. She was okay, although. The residue of the drug faded and no signs of violence or torture on her. A strange chair with a lot of different buttons and triggers was at the front of her, as well the posters were replaced by battle plans marked on Arcadia Bay. The rest of the room was covered by dark shadows.

She tried to move the cuffs somehow, but it was pointless: the field immobilizes her in effectively and in combination with the handcuffs, Max felt a little stationary.

Then a scary dark voice made her to stop and be like a stone. No doubt whose voice was that.

"Do not move so wildly. You will cause only pain to yourself." said the Dark Lord and stepped out of shadows of the Dark Room. Vader, curious about Max's strange feelings, stepped at the front of her and examined her carefully with this sight.

"You are a special one...Caulfield." Max was horrified. How did he find my name, she thought.

Darth Vader made a step backwards and sat on the chair before Max. She could recognize he had not his cloak fixed on him, so she saw Vader's shiny silver pauldrons for sure.

"I will not...do anything..." tried young Caulfield to answer to Vader, but she found out it is hard to talk to him. She felt like he was scavenging her brain from afar.

Vader put his hands firmly on a chair's backrests and continued: "You do not want to accept the truth, child: You are strong in the Force."

Max's heart was stroke by panic and drastic pain. Her, actually a Jedi? "Never!" Maxine replied angrily to the Dark Lord, who stood up and with slow pace reached to Max.

"I can sense it, Maxine. You do not believe, because of these "aborigines" teachings, but your connection to the Force is a strong one. Even stronger than...the Emperor's."

Vader's black hand slowly went through Max's cheek and continued: "Your mind is like an open book to me, Max. Your friends, your memories, even your...gift. It is not a random thing, it is a creation of the Force. Yet it is unclear what your power can do, Caulfield. My master comes here soon and then, we will find it out."

"But...I am not sure what do you-" Max's weak voice was silenced by Vader's hand placed on her mouth. His breathing was more horrifying by each second Vader was so close to defenseless Max.

"I will find it out by myself, Caulfield. Your rebel friend will regret ever knowing you..." Vader finished the conversation and sat back to the strange chair.

Chloe. Did he mean...oh no...thought Max to herself.

"Yes." the Dark Lord responded and a true interrogation started: Vader did not move a muscle, but a tension was rising in the air for Max. She could feel a big tension on her head and her heart was becoming harder and harder.

"Please...stop..." tried young girl somehow to stop Darth Vader from his play, but it didn't work.

Then, Max noticed her nose was bleeding again. The blood flowed like a slow waterfall and Max slowly faded, her eyes closing even slower.

"Soon...we shall reunite...my child..." a strange voice of an old man talked to Max again. But she didn't take care.

Max opened her eyes again, seeing she is in another vision. The clouds of dark were around her again, but now no scary face, no voice.

"What is happening? Why is this happening to me? And where am I?" asked Max herself because of tension and fear mixed in her mind, looking around for some clue or escape route.

Suddenly, the clouds to the right parted and showed a clear vision of a green field with a lot of junk metal, crushed cars and garbage. Max immediately recognized it.

"Junkyard!" Max said and charged to the vision like a rocket.


	5. Chapter Four: The Nightmare

Max clearly saw the scene she was going into: it was in Tuesday when Chloe "tested" Max's rewind powers at the old junkyard. They met Frank Bowers the bad way for the first time, and Max almost shot him. With Chloe's gun.

But now, it was different. Max was looking on the same scene, where Frank threatened Chloe with his knife and Max pointed a gun on him. For the real Max, the scene was surrounded by dark scary clouds. When Frank said: "You're kidding. Put that down.", Max pulled the trigger, but not with a feared face - Max saw it clearly, her old self was smiling!

And the gun was armed! Frank fell on ground dead, Max hit his heart with a 100% precision. Chloe didn't expect Max to shoot, the gun was empty when it was given to Max's old self, but Max could clearly see the other Max was loading the gun with bullets behind her back when Frank was dealing with Chloe. And when Max looked on scared Chloe, she understood - Chloe hadn't her bullet necklace!

"If you had utilized your powers, my child, you would have been the greatest weapon against the Rebellion!" a shadow voice of old man again replayed in Max's head. She ignored it.

Max was still looking on the scene. The blood pouring from Frank was fresh and hot. Chloe tried to save him by putting her hands on the hole, but it was pointless. Her face was filled with fear and panic, so did the real Max feel.

The other Max was devilishly smiling. Chloe didn't understand, so she asked: "Max, is everything alright?"

The real Max tried to answer. but her other one was faster: "Yes, it is." Answered the bad Max and for Chloe's fear, she pointed a gun on her aswell.

"Max...calm down...it's ok..." Chloe tried to talk with Max, but for nothing. Then she realized she hasn't got her necklace and understood everything.

"Its okay, Chloe. You were just a pawn." the other Max said and pulled a trigger of the gun. The bullet ran through Chloe's chest so fast the blood didnt even had time to pour out.

"NO! This isn't true!" Max shouted in the air, looking on her best friend dying on the ground, with a big hole in her chest.

"But you have thrown away your power, so you will suffer for your betrayal, my Hand!" the dark voice said to scared Max. She herself was destroyed inside. But this wasn't the end...

Max suddenly appeared on her bad twin's place - with the bloody gun in her hand! Why bloody? The blood was all over it, and poured slowly from the firehole on Max's hands.

"Oh, shit..." Max said and thrown away the gun, but the blood on her hands preserved. She tried to dry it out by a handkerchief, but it was useless - the blood perserved.

"You killed her...You have blood on your hands...Thus is your punishment, my child." The Dark voice talked to Max once again and now, Max openly replied to it.

"I will not submit, this is not real!" Max shouted to answer the voice, but all she got was evil crackling laugh coming out of nowhere.

The Dark Voice continued in its torture. "You will, my child. Soon, we will reunite..."

"NEVER!" Max said to the Voice, covered her ears with bloody hands and sat alone in the dark what replaced the junkyard scene, but Chloe's dead body was still there, so was the blood.

Max didn't want to believe anything. Seeing herself killing Chloe, her best friend, was a mindfuck for her. She was ruined psychically and all she wanted was to get out...

Suddenly, an older voice, filled with wisdom, replaced the Dark One: "In the Force, you must trust. Concentrate, you have to, Max Caulfield."


	6. Chapter Five: The Force I

"What?" Max replied deprively. Not only some voice is toying with her, she is responsible for Chloe's death and she has hands dirty from blood, now some other voice joins the fray.

"Confused and scared, you are. Concentrate and calm your inner self, Max Caulfied." The old wise voice continued to advise.

Max raised from the dark ground with her, because the blood from Chloe's body was slowly reaching her. She decided to listen to the wisdom.

"Okay." Max said to the voice and several times she breathed in and out deeply.

Her thoughts were full of Chloe and her killing Frank and her best friend, but Max did her best to calm herself down.

"Clear up your head, Max. Let your inner self be OK." Max said to herself. The deep breathing continued and she felt more and more relaxed.

As more as Max was calmer, the area around her was changing more and more. Chloe's dead body disappeared into the blue air and the dark black was slowly turning into gray and white.

A small green figure formed from the parts of air at the front of Max. It had a small robe and held a wooden stick in its hand.

"Great work, Max Caulfield. But not defeated, the Dark Side is." the figure said to surprised Max. She immediately recognized it.

"Y- Master Yoda?" asked the girl the figure. The Jedi Master nodded lightly and smiled.

"Surprised, you are. But the Sith Lords, you should do battle, Max Caulfield." added Yoda and reached Max.

The Jedi Master's face was full of curiosity and warm-heartness. Yoda reached his availible hand to Max and so did she.

"In great danger, you are and your world is, Max." said Yoda and looked deeply into Max's happy eyes. The entire area was white and it looked like the sun was shining Max and Yoda's faces.

"The Emperor, great foe of yours, is. The links of the Force, he used and twisted against you, Maxine." started Yoda to explain the situation to Max. She sat quietly and listened to the older one like a school pupil.

"Defeat him, you must. The cause of your gift, he is. The power you wield, the creation of Dark Side is. But for the higher good, can be turned. The Emperor, aware is not. Waste time we must not." Yoda finished with asking Max to stand up.

"Concentrate and return to the past. The wrong repaired must be. As an advantage, use it. Trust the Force, you have to. Only with the Force, defeat the Emperor and his apprentice, you can."

"I don't know I can...It is painful to me..." Max replied to Master Yoda quietly. She tried to concentrate, yes, but it was hard to keep calm and balanced when she was thinking about Chloe dying."

Yoda shaked his head mildly. "Concentrate, you must. To the painful moment, you must return. Only by saving your friend, you will be safe."

Max concentrated on bringing that moment back. The moment the other Max killed Chloe.

But Max remembered she took a photo of Chloe playing with a gun before meeting Frank, so she concentrated on bringing that photo in memory.


	7. Chapter Six: The New Future

When the named photo finally came into Max's mind, it appeared in a large scale at the front of surpirsed girl and her recent Jedi mentor.

"It's...beautiful..." commented Max on a large photo, staying staring on it like a zombie.

Yoda smiled and said amused: "Like the all creations of the Force."

With an interested face, Max slowly reached the big sized photo and nearly touched it with her bare hand, but at the last second Yoda stopped her.

"Remember, The Emperor and Darth Vader, dangerous foes are." Jedi Master warned Max as best as he could. "The tricks with the mind, they will use against you and your friends. Resist to their lies and promises, you must. Only believing to yourself and the Force, you will bring peace to your broken world." Then Yoda took a few steps backwards and was slowly disappearing. But before he dissolved into the white mist, Master Yoda's last words were: "May the Force be with you, Maxine Caulfield. Take care of your friend."

Max nodded in direction where Yoda was standing few seconds ago and took a deep breath. "Be brave, Max. Time to be a real hero." Max said to herself and touched the photo with her hand.

"You are so royally fucked." Max heard in her ears and recognized her own voice, but didn't give a shit about it.

The scene filled with white light as Max was getting more and more into the scene. Then when the white faded out again, Max could see clearly again. She was at the junkyard, at the same place from where she took a photo of Chloe lying on a wrecked car and playing with her gun. The scene was surrounded by red and pink light walls of air, so Max could recognize where were her "barriers" - where she cannot go beyond.

When Max saw Chloe, alive and well, she couldn't hold joy and happiness at her normal level. "CHLOE!" Maxine shouted all over the junkyard, happy to see Chloe, and literally jumped on her, on the truck. They both fell off, but unharmed.

"Whoa, easy there, Maximus. You are out for a while and now you are all over me?" Chloe was completely surprised from Max's unexpected reaction. She helped her quiet and a little crazy friend to stand up and looked curiously on her.

Max swept up the tear from her eye and hugged Chloe strongly: "Chloe...you are alive...I am just-"

Chloe silenced Max with a hand put on her mouth. "You will explain me once we are out, Max. Now we have to make you ubercool..." finished her sentence with a impish look on her face and put a gun in Max's hands.

Max did not look surprised or scared, what amazed Chloe. She expected some shit alk or arguements from her nerd friend, but nothing. Only silence.

"Chloe, look...I do not have much time. There is something I have to tell you-" Suddenly, Frank interrupted the girls with his confident talk. Max was not surprised.

"Hey, it's Thelma and Louise. Or is it-?" Frank vented from his mouth, but didn't have a chance to finish the sentence thanks to our "Jedi" friend.

"Stick to Bonnie and Clyde, Frank." Max answered the drug dealer without any hesistation or fear. The man was really surprised, so was Chloe.

Frank stepped forward to girls a little, but not so confidently as he entered a while ago. "Um, do I know you, puppy?"

"Not now, but you have to listen to me, both of you." Max said not only to shocked drug dealer, but to her punk friend as well.

The time warrior continued in her explanation, although Frank wanted to object. He decided to stay quiet and listen out the nerd.

"I do not have much time left, but you have to trust me: I am in the Dark Room, trapped by...Darth Vader. Do not ask how, but trust me: We have to bring Jefferson to justice, because he is the bad guy here - he played with Kate, drugged Rachel and a lot of other girls and used them as models."

"Max, are you right? You look totally spaced out." Chloe interrupted her best younger friend and shaked with her a little. "Darth Vader? Are you serious? And we are here, at junkyard. How could-?"

"This is getting too crazy. I am outta her-" Frank tried to leave, but Max stopped him.

"I know this is looking hell crazy, but please trust me." Max then pointed on a far place at the junkyard, with stress and fear in her face. "Rachel is...dead. She is buried right there. If she is there, that is the proof I am not lying. Just believe me...please..."

Frank and Chloe didn't believe the crazy nerd for the first time, but if Rachel is in there...Chloe rushed to that place like a panther, Frank slowly behind her. Max was right behind her partner in crime.

Then the scene blurred out into white and Max was in the unknown place again...


	8. INTERLUDE: Scene Swapping

Frank threathening Chloe with knife and Max pointing a gun on him - Chloe crying over dug out dead Rachel, with Frank and Max holding her.

Kate leaving from Mr. Jefferson in cries - Kate, Principal Wells and Max looking on the police arresting Mr. Jefferson.

The girls in the pool - The girls in the pool.

Max and Nathan at the Two Whales - Chloe, Max and Frank interrogating Nathan at Frank's van.

Max and Chloe with Frank at the beach - Frank, Max and Chloe with Warren inspecting the old barn.

Victoria and Max at the party - bad mood - Max and Victoria at the party - laughing.

Jefferson over Chloe's dead body at the junkyard with drugged Max in the background - Darth Vader carrying Max in his hands, sleeping.

Stormtroopers and Boba Fett escoring drugged Max on a medical bed - Chloe and Frank following the Imperial escort to the barn.


	9. Chapter Seven: The Force II

Max looked around her as much as she could, but the only thing she could see was pale white. She didn't know exactly what she changed, but she was sure Chloe would be alive. She hoped.

"Is anyone here? Please? Master Yoda?" Max was asking all around, but no reply. She started to think from frustration: "Did I actually fuck up the time so much I removed the world itself? If yes, then you should be renamed to "Max the Worldbreaker". Hm, nice achievment."

Suddenly, from nowhere, an old voice approached the young time traveller. Not the scary and dark one, but the voice of wisdom. But different from Master Yoda's.

"You have not done anything that destructive, Max. Do not be so harsh on yourself." Max turned and saw a really familiar face. She blushed.

"Ben Kenobi?" The only words Max could get from her mouth, seeing old Master Kenobi's charismatic face.

Ben smiled and waved his hand like he was conjuring something from the clear air. "Master Yoda was more surprising, I presume." An old Jedi Master smiled and suddenly an old tree lying appeared near him.

"Sit down, Max. We have much to discuss." Ben said to happy Max and sat on the tree. The girl only nodded, because she didn't know what to say and sat along the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

There was a silence for a minute. Then Max ruptured the bubble of silence by her voice. "What is happening, master Kenobi?" It was clear for Ben Max is frustrated from the mess happened to her in the past. "Why is this happening to me? Did I just fucked up time so much even alternate universes want me dead?"

Kenobi sighed a little and started to explain. As the master described, the air around Ben and Max was shaping into people the old Jedi hermit was talking about.

"Look, young Maxine." Ben said with wisdom voice. "The Emperor had tricked you perfectly. The secrets of the Dark Side are like the open book to him, as well to his dark apprentice, Darth Vader. They found you out here and discovered your power to rewind time. Then, he sought to use it as the ultimate weapon against the Rebel Alliance, so he manipulated your thoughts and memories to do his bidding. Failed. But he will not stop. He is engaged to crush the Rebellion and he won't stop until you are in his hands, Max. The entire world of yours is in fatal danger. If you will not act soon, all of the galaxy will fall under Emperor's iron hand."

Max listened to old man's description and fear mixed with confusion...it is all a lie? Has she been fooled and tricked just to serve the Dark Empire? Or is she truly the Emperor's Hand? Is her time rewind truly the gift of the mystical Force or just a coincidence?

Ben looked on a frightened girl with a curious face. It was clear he read all Max's questions from her mind. The Jedi and the Sith are the best in scavenging in other's minds.

"I can see you are confused by all of this, my friend." Master Kenobi said fatherly to Max and put his hand on her shoulder and continued. "You will find answers soon enough. Soon."

Then, the air around the Jedi pair started to blend into dark black.

"It is here, Max." Ben stood up, put up his hood and left. "Your final test is upon. You must defeat the Sith Lords if you want to save your world."

And before Obi-Wan Kenobi finally vanished, his last words were: "Take care of your friend. She is more dear to you than you ever know." Then, the old Jedi Master vanished into the air.

Max wanted to ask more, but her nose started to bleed waterfalls again. Then, our Jedi-nerd friend fallen into unconcious again...


	10. Chapter Eight: The Dark Room II

Max awakened in the Dark Room, where the plays with the Force started. And still in force shackles. But this time, there were drastic changes: The maps were replaced by view of battle - Imperial Forces assaulting Arcadia Bay, along with TIE Fighters in the skies. The room was still dark, but this time there was a little more light. And there was more room to move.

Before she could somehow observe the room, the dark voice questioned her, now with a sprink of tension.

"You are a resilient one, Caulfield. But everyone can be broken." Max did know already whose voice it was.

"That's me, Vader." Max answered without hesistation and, to her own surprise, without fear.

Vader stepped a little back. Since their last meeting, Vader put on his long dark cloak and also his chair was away. It seemed their HQ moved elsewhere.

"Your courage may be bold. My master will arrive soon to subjucate your rebel will, Hand." Vader replied with inner hatred. Although Max wasn't much of Star Wars expert, she knew there were almost no secrets between his dark master and his twisted apprentice.

Max, wanting to buy some time, tried somehow to persuade the Dark Lord: "Please, Lord Vader...I will not harm you...Release me, these shackles hurt..."

The Sith Lord took a closer look on the time heroine and noted: "They are sufficient enough to hold you intact. Nice try, Hand."

Then, without either Vader or Max expecting, a click of firing pin sounded behind the Dark Lord of the Sith. He was too tall to hide the person, so Max was "blind" at the moment.

A familiar voice, a voice too familiar to Maxine, then spoken: "Release her!"

"CHLOE!" Max shouted all over the room. It was right, it seems Chloe was not killed either by Jefferson or anyone. How did she get here, Max asked to herself. If Arcadia was swarmed by the Imperials, how could she- Nevermind.

Vader slowly turned on the rebel and saw the gun pointing at him. He did not move a muscle. "You are reckless enough to die here, rebel scum. You are an example of your kind's stupidity!"

"At least I will die for my friend. Loyalty, Love, Friendship...You will never learn these traits!" Chloe replied to the Dark Lord's threat and pulled a trigger.

"Chloe, wait!" Max wanted to stop her best friend from firing, but too late. The bullets were fired on the Dark Lord.

Vader just raised his right hand and turned the bullets into a small firework when it hit his pointed arm. Chloe was absolutely stunned by how the Sith could stop the fire from her gun, but there was no time in asking. In another second, Vader raised his left hand and "pulled" the weapon from Chloe's scared arms. And in final, he Force pushed her with his right hand right against the wall. The punk was not killed, only stunned for a moment. A crack was made into the wall. Then, the Dark Lord crushed the gun by his hole hand like it was made of snow.

"Now, where have we been..." Vader asked and began to turn to Max. Her courage was replaced by fear about Chloe Price.

The mentioned punk was recovering from a head hit into the wall hardly. Chloe checked her head if she is not bleeding and was relieved that the hit didn't make a hole in her own head. Looking around her and watching not to be spotted by Darth Vader at the same time, Chloe was searching for a weapon. She searched every hole, every corner, but nothing. Until she found a strange baton...

"Hmm, this looks interesting." she picked up a baton, stood up and pointed it on Vader. When he was still investigating Maxine, Chloe noticed a small button on the weapon. She pressed it...

And a blue light reminiscent of a saber came out of it. Luckily, towards the Dark Lord. When Chloe realized what is she holding in her hands, she grabbed a weapon with both hands and stood as an amateur swordsman.

When the voice of the activation sounded, the Sith turned on a rebel girl and noticed what was she holding in her hands. He pointed a finger on her.

"That lightsaber belongs to me, rebel! Hand it over!" Vader warned Chloe and started to reach her, but the punk swished with the saber a few times to fend the Dark Lord back.

"Well, it seems it is mine now!" Chloe replied with her rebel accent and swung with the lightsaber again.

The Dark Lord did not move and put his hand under his cloak. "You are playing with fire, girl." And drew out his lightsaber. When activated, a sharp red light came from the hilt. Unlike Chloe Price, Vader was holding his weapon with one hand. "Let me show you how it burns."

And the Dark Lord of the Sith charged on Chloe and their lightsabers clashed and luminated the room for a while. Max was nearly blinded from the light coming from the clashed sabers.

The clash emerged into the fight. After a few seconds, Vader pushed Chloe back with all of his strength and stroke several strong hits. Luckily, Chloe managed to parry all of them, despite she is holding the lightsaber for the first time in her life. It was an excitement and dance with death at the same time for punk Price.

When the Dark Lord slashed from below and Chloe blocked it as well, Vader tipped her off balance and she fell on ground, still holding a lightsaber. Then the Sith smashed with all his strength into the rebel, but it was a close call - Chloe dodged the deadly saber in the last second. The mark of Vader's lightsaber on the floor very clearly to see.

"You cannot win!" The Dark Lord stated and swang with his saber all around him, cutting the old wardrobe near him and Chloe in half and nearly hitting her. Chloe parried next set of Vader's attacks and then she tried to attack.

"Die, you robotic motherfucker!" Chloe cried and attacked wildly on the Dark Lord, but Max had to be the witness of a terrible view: Vader dodged masterly Chloe's charge and without losing time, he stuck his lightsaber through her belly. The punk gasped in pain as the Dark Lord of the Sith lifted her in the air and then throwing her on the other side of the Dark Room, where she died in pain and agony.

"NOO!" Max shouted and tried to free herself from the restrains, but without any success. It was too much painful to see Chloe dying again, and by such a terrible way. Seeing her killed by Jefferson, by Nathan Prescott or even smashed by train or "killing her from mercy" was too much for Maxine Caulfield. If she could only...

Yes. She could rewind to warn Chloe not to attack and save her life. But if she rewinds, won't Vader notice it? If it is truly the creation of the Force, as Yoda mentioned, it could be a threat and a weapon for the Dark Lord. Or even worse...the Emperor.

Fuck it!, Max said to herself and decided not to let Chloe die. Even before Vader could reach the time warrior Caulfield, Max managed to rewind few moments before Chloe's fatal attack.

"Die, you-" Chloe shouted, but Maxine stopped her in time.

"Chloe, wait! Do not charge off like that!" Max shouted on her partner. Chloe should have been amazed, but she only nodded, said "Yes, sir!" and continued in blocking and parrying Darth Vader's attacks. The attacks became more brutal and vicious, but Chloe was getting into the lightsaber dueling like it was in her blood all the time.

Then, for a second, the Sith Lord halted the attack and looked on Max and then on the blue-haired rebel. "Hm, something is amiss." The Dark Lord noted with deep scary mechanical voice.

Vader's note feared young restrained Maxine. Could he think...or know...God. Max thought and started to panic if the Dark Lord didn't find out what is going on.

But it didn't matter for the time being - Sith stroke upon Chloe Price again and now, when their lightsaber clashed again, Vader's blade was slowly reaching Chloe's neck. She wasn't strong enough to stop it, but at least slow it down as much as she could.

"You should have stayed in your pit, rebel!" Vader claimed and continued to push. In a second, Max had to turn the sight away along from the painful last scream of Chloe Price...

"Not again..." Max said sadly to her and really doubted in rewinding again. Not for Chloe, but to keep it secret from Darth Vader. Who knows what would happen if the Sith controlled time...

So Max, scared that she could die, rewinded again to the moment when Chloe's and Vader's sabers clashed. When Max finished with rewinding, he alerted Chloe with a really disturbing and sharp cry.

"Chloe, knee kick!" Max shouted and her rebel friend again listened to her will. Chloe's knee hit Vader's belly so hard he had to step back a little, which gave her a chance to strike. It was a master stroke. Chloe swished through Dark Lord's mask from above, torn apart the left side of Vader's mask and left a part of his burned face uncovered. The Sith Lord has been struck down...until he rises up again, of course.


	11. Chapter Nine: The Break Out

"Max, hold on." After a while when Chloe was looking on the defeated Sith Lord with the torn mask, she realized her best friend was still in shackles. She turned on Max held in a stasis prison and took the lightsaber again.

"This could be drastic. Do not better look up and down." Chloe said to her best friend and when Max was trying to cover her sight, the punk hit the upper and bottom force field generator holding Time Warrior on place. The sparks from destroyed generators flew all over, thankfully not hitting either Max or Chloe. The girl almost fell on ground, but the rebel catched her in time. And thankfully Chloe deactivated the lightsaber, or Max would be cut in half.

Max was only gasping from what she has seen. Her best friend could die so many ways...but they managed to defeat the vile Dark Lord of the Sith...together.

"Max, are you okay?" Chloe asked her scared friend and held her in a hug for a long second.

Young Caulfield hugged back and replied slowly. "Chloe...I am just glad you are alive..." Then Max had to cough a little, but no blood.

"Oh god. Don't do that again to me, ok?" The reply from Chloe may be lecturing, but she was scared of Max. Since the Vortex Club party, these two split and Caulfield was unlucky to run into Darth Vader accidentaly in the woods.

"I swear...to life." said Max and hugged her punk friend a lot more. She was glad her partner in time and crime was alive. She could not express her feels, or even love, not enough right now, but she will...in time...

But they had no time to waste. Although Vader was hit hard, he was standing up to kill both, Max and Chloe. The girls didn't hesistate and ran to the door as fast as they could. But little they knew the Dark Lord had trouble standing up from the ground - his damaged breathing system partially paralyzed him.

"Come on, Chloe!" Max pushed Chloe to run faster and as they got to the blast doors, they closed it immediately. But when Chloe wanted to run upwards, Max stopped for a while.

Why did not he kill us when he had a perfect chance? Max thought. If he ment to eliminate us if he fails to convince me to return, so why did he hesistate? Is there...a conflict in him?

"Are you waiting for God, Max? Come on, we must get out before they catch us!" Chloe shouted on dreaming Max. The nerd was interrupted and wanted to continue. But Max, worried about Chloe and being tortured by Darth Vader again, looked on the blast doors for a moment and then turned on Chloe, raising her hand.

"Lend me that lightsaber." Max asked her punk companion, who looked a little surprised.

Chloe, without a word, gave the weapon to Max, but didn't hold herself and had to ask.

"For what?"

Max simply smiled and answered: "To hold off one robot." And when the sentence ended, Max activated the lightsaber and slowly started to cut the door with the blade in its borders. When she was done, Chloe feared the door would fall, but surprisingly to her, the door stood together.

"This should stop that maniac for a while." commented Max her work, grabbed Chloe's hand and together, the two girls ran upstairs into the barn. To Time Warrior's surprise, Frank's van and its owner were inside. Frank was waiting on the girls as they get out.

"Where have you been, ladies? It's getting damn hot outside!" Frank yelled on both when they finally came out of the underground.

"Calm down, Frank. One plated freak didn't want to give Max for free. Without harm." Chloe answered hastily, but glad he didn't leave them behind.

Who would leave us with thousands of Stormtroopers roaming all around Arcadia Bay? Chloe asked to herself, but realized it was a stupid question. Fuck it.

Frank just looked on the closed barn doors and wanted to open the van one. "I see. Well, hop in, ladies, Bowers express waits for no one." But suddenly, a dog started to bark inside the van, And someone else trying to quiet the angry dog.

"Calm down, Pompidou. Or they will find us, so please...Shut up, dog!" It was a man's voice and ti was so pitched Max immediately recognized who is it.

"Warren? What are you doing here?!" Max was speaking with the nerd through the shut doors. Warren was surprised to hear Max and opened the van door to answer.

"Max, thank God. I thought you are done for!" That was the first to come from Warren to tired Maxine Caulfield, who just saw her best friend Chloe Price dying twice by gruesome death. By the hand of Darth Vader.

Max smiled a little on the caring nerd and answered quietly: "No worries, Warren. He would not dare." Then, the time warrior dared to hug Warren a little to calm him down and then entered the vehicle. Chloe kept her neutral face, although she was a little confused about it.

"Get in, folks. Or we wont-" Suddenly, the blast door from underground flew through the staircase right into the barn planked wall. It seems Vader still had enough power to kick the door out on the first try.

Chloe turned back to see the flying door on her own eyes. "EVERYONE, GET IN!" The rebel cried on everyone and in a second, all of the group that went to save Maxine from the Imperial hands was on board the van. Frank immediately sat on the driver's seat and turned on the motor. He was ready to rush through the barn door, but someone was faster...

"STOP RIGHT THERE! Blast them!" A platoon of Stromtroopers opened the door and was ready to pen fire on the vehicle. It was clear it would take only a few shots and the van will blow up like a napalm bomb.

Chloe pushed Frank and yelled into his ear: "GO!" Then, the drug dealer and driver in one person stomped on the gas pedal as strong as he could and drove out of the rotten construction. Luckily, the Stormtrooper's aim didn't improve, so the Imperials missed all the time. No shot actually hit the vehicle in any critical place and one of the soldiers accidentally hit the commanding officer right into the heart.

When they were out of danger, they could concentrate more on the path - before Max reawakened in the Dark Room, a terrible storm appeared over Arcadia Bay. It torn out trees and wrecked houses. And the worst - a giant E6 tornado was in the middle of the Bay, ready to ahniliate the entire town. It was a terrifying look, mostly for Max.

"I have never seen such a tornado in my life." said Warren quietly as a mouse and continued to observe the cataclysm.

"Could have expected it, nerd." pointed Frank on Warren the brain. "Couldn't you find it out from that snowfall or the eclipse?"

Warren wanted to shut Frank down with fists, but he was stopped by Chloe's hand and pushed back.

"Leave him alone, Frank." Chloe defended the nerd. "He could not know it. No one could."

Then, she left the front of the van and sat near to Max on Frank's bed. The driver concentrated on the road and Warren was looking out if any Imperial TIE fighters are on them.

Max was not looking good. She was freaked out from something. It was clear from her face and the sadness mixed with it...a recipe for clear depression. Or worries. Chloe did not know how to talk to Max. She wanted to make her feel happy, but also she would like to know what is happenning.

Chloe asked carefully and put her hand over Max's little shoulders: "What is going on hippie? Care to share?" The punk obviously used her "Chloe Price Style" accent to lift up Max's mood. It didn't help.

"I...I do not know myself, Chloe." Max replied slowly and with tension. "It is so fucked up I cannot properly think. Lightsabers, Stormtroopers, ghosts...I feel like shit right now."

"Fuck all of that." Chloe said to Max as a friend, not as a rebel and pulled Max a little closer to her. "No Empire nor any fucking motherfucker will never ever split us apart, got it Caulfield? We're team!" Chloe looked in Max's face for a few seconds and looked like hypnotized. She turned Caulfield's cute face on her side and spoke like she never did. "Max...You are my..."

Then, Chloe Price dared to do what she never did before: she kissed Max as much as she could on the lips. Much to her own surprise, Max didn't resist and returned it. They were making it out for a while, then they separated.

"Wow, that was...nice..." The only comment of Max Caulfied on what just has happened. She looked amazed and lovely.

Chloe...well, she had her impish look and curiosity in her eyes. "I didn't expect it would..." A miraculous silence occured between those two, even Warren and Frank's chatting or Pompidou scratching his fur didn't break the atmosphere between Max and Chloe.

Max remembered on words of Ben Kenobi: "She is more dear to you than you ever know...", and finally understood. She didn't like, didn't dug up for Chloe or didn't admire her...She loved her all the time. Chloe Price, a partner in crime, a best friend and a loyal companion. And now...a lover. Despite the cataclysmic look of the tornado and the ruins, romance was going on between the shy girl and a rebel.

Could it get any better? thought loving Max.

A pain she felt in the nose few seconds later, however proved her otherwise.

"No..." Max said right before she fainted out again. Chloe rushed to catch her newly found lover.

"Do not worry, I got your back..."


	12. Chapter Ten: The Force III

Max reawakened in the unknown place again, but covered in dark and red bloody clouds. There was almost no light, so the time warrior didn't even see her own legs and she felt both cold and warm at the same time. The tension was rising even more, because Max knew she is not there alone. But the mysterious person didn't reveal itself...yet.

"No. What the fuck?" Max said to herself quietly. "Why is this happening to me?"

She felt badly. Not only she recently found her secret love to Chloe, but also she feared of her dying again. And not only of her. Victoria, Kate, Taylor, Warren, Joyce... everyone in Arcadia Bay deserved to live.

But I do not. Max thought. I brought the tornado, the Imperials...I should die right now...

The tension mixed with fear and doubt inside Maxine Caulfield. She felt like a mass murderer. She could feel her biceps itching with pain. Her head was painful like the bag full of steel ingots fell on it. In one half of body, Max felt warm but cold in the other one. The things were messy for young Max.

"There is no power...without a passion." A mysterious mechanical voice scared Max to death. Vader, here? Oh fuck!

The voice continued in its speech and the clouds started to reshape.

"There is no passion...without fear." Max looked all around, but she didn't see anyone. She calmed a little that the Dark Lord is not here.

And for the third time, the voice emerged: "There is no Sith...without a Jedi."

Finally, the person revealed itself at the front of Max out of nowhere, from the dark scary clouds. The man had black torn robes mixed with plate armor, but Max saw only the plates. It was still dark there. A lightsaber shined under his belt, as well his face. Well, not a face, but an armored mask with a hood.

"Welcome to my realm, Maxine Caulfield. I have been expecting you to enter." The man, obviously a Sith, greeted Max and reached his hand to her. Max, from the nobility and kindness itself, answered the gesture same.

"Who are you? Where am I?" the scared Jedi-Warrior asked the masked person and stepped back a little because of fear.

The man tipped his mask a little and answered: "Call me...a friend. Where? The place called "The Sanctuary." Here the force users like you come when they meditate...or fall into unconcious." Then, the clouds partially blurred into white and grey, but the red ones preserved. "Talking with the old deceased Jedi or Sith, communicating, seeking answers, knowledge...or power. I am here because of you. You chose me, although your mind speaks otherwise, youngling."

Max shaked her head in disagree. "Chose You? I barely even know you. Why should I-"

The masked Sith shut her up with a finger put on her mouth. Max could lick it, but she already felt the uglyness of leather gloves on lips, so her tounge stood inactive.

Then, the mysterious man turned back on Caulfield, waved his hands against the clouds and they started to move. The scene was lightening a little and the scary clouds were shaping into a black tall body with a red light coming from his right hand in a metal room with a throne, and a blonde young boy in black robes with a burned scar on his chest lying dead.

"Is that...?" Max asked slowly to her dark companion. He only nodded.

"Yes, Max Caulfield." Came from the dark person after a moment of silence and continued with raising secrecy in his voice. "The only son of Darth Vader, known before as Anakin Skywalker. Slain by his own corrupted father. From the will of the dark master Palpatine."

"W- Why?" Max asked with fear in her tone. The dark one turned on his girl companion slowly. "Because of you." Time warrior stepped back and was scared if the mysterious one will stab her or try to kill her. But he did nothing.

"Not that you are primarily responsible for all of this, Maxine. The Emperor used your powers for his own good." Then, the masked man asked Max to walk with him for a while, and our hero accepted. She wanted to know what happened at it seems this "Sith" knows more than master Yoda or Ben Kenobi.

Then, the companion of the Dark Side continued in his explanations and as they walked, the skies around them were shaping into the starships and people as the dark one was telling Max the events of the Empire. His robotic voice made it only scarier and darker.

"When the Emperor found you and your gift, he knew what do you - he already forseen his fall at the forest moon of Endor, and with you, he could undo the greatest defeat of the Empire into the triumphant victory of the Dark Side. With one simple choice - he replaced stupid admiral Piett with his best tactician - Grand Admiral Thrawn. With this "non-human" in the lead, the Rebels stood no chance. The strike force on the moon ahniliated once it landed and the rebel fleet - crushed by the Imperial Navy. There were almost no survivors."

Max felt shit from all of this what she heard right now. Her powers...actually to help the Empire win? But...

"This is not real! It is a ficitional universe. It is a film, not a reality!" Caulfield tried to oppose. It was true Star Wars are just a fictional sci-fi movie. A fiction. But could her powers be so powerful they could actually bring a fiction into reality? Fuck it, I won't believe it anyway. Max said to herself.

The hooded person continued to reason why is it happening. A sigh was clearly heard under his metal mask.

"Look, Max...Your toying with time was so...crucial it brought this "fiction", as you say, into your reality. Jumping through alternate realities created a certain hole, which allowed the Empire to slip through and get you to change the reality in their universe. By sensing your power, Palpatine just needed you to capture for a while and in a matter of seconds, he changed his own fall into his greatest triumph. By crushing the Rebellion, he erased any whisper of opposition, betrayal or even...freedom."

The clouds were forming the scenes to show Maxine what happened as the masked sith was telling her everything. The destroyed rebel cruisers, dead rebel soldiers with little Ewoks, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn with his blue skin and red eyes above all of it...she felt so sick she would projectile vomit from all of it. But she held her sickness...at least.

"I feel your bad, Maxine." the Sith continued and caring was in the tone clear. Max was surprised. "By only simple choice...the fate of the galaxy was drastically changed."

"How...How did the heroes end? I mean, friends of..." Max asked her new dark friend with both fear and curiosity in her voice. She didn't care about Star Wars much, but if her powers aided the Empire in victory over Rebels, she wanted to know how at least the heroes ended. If they...

"Princess Leia...she ended up the most tragically as she could have..." The dark one said quietly and continued. The clouds on the left started to colour in white, black and blue.

"She managed to escape, but shortly after was caught by the bounty hunters...on the remote world of Lothal. She was brought to the Emperor on Coruscant...and executed. By his own hand." The clouds shaped into Palpatine striking lightning bolts into Leia, one of them tearing through her body like a blade. The smile of a devil was shown on Emperor's face. Maxine was scared more and more, but the hooded figure continued in its dark tales.

"The leadership of the Alliance crumbled. One by one, the Empire stroke them down. Mon Mothma, Garm Bel Iblis, Bail Antilles...all of them died either by the hand of Darth Vader or his bounty hunters."

The clouds shaped the figures of Trandoshan Bossk shooting old Garm Bel Iblis into his heart, a human Dengar breaking Bail Antilles' neck with the sand below them and at last...Boba Fett cutting the head off of Mon Mothma. It was a disgusting look for both of them. Blood, death...Max felt responsible for all of this, because practically - she allowed the Sith to use her powers to save their own lives. But the hooded man ensured Max with his hand on her shoulder it is not her fault.

"C-3P0 and R2-D2...Skywalker's droid companions. Were sent on Kessel Imperial Prison facility and turned into scrap to fuel the factories on new Dark Troopers." The scene did not need any further description. The skies turned into the visualisation precisely as the masked sith described it.

Then, he went on. "Han Solo and Wookie Chewbacca. They are the only ones who are still successfully escaping the Empire's long hand. It is proclaimed they have stolen an old Imperial corvette and with a band of rebels, they raid the Imperial stations. But it is unclear if they are already dead or still alive..."

Max took a deep breath and sighed loudly, but in relief. At least someone of them survived. Still, it was horrible.

When the skies stopped shaping and colouring, because the Sith stopped to explain as well to walk. He turned his head on Maxine and dispatched her bleeding nose. Max found it out too. She felt to fall into deep sleep again.

"The time is coming up. Remember...The Emperor is your prime enemy, not Darth Vader. Doubt consumes the Dark Lord more than it ever did. He is hesistating since he met you...use it to your advantage. And be cautious...The tempt of the Dark Side can be more dangerous than its power..." Then, the masked person disappeared into the dark clouds and right before Max fainted again, the clouds at front of her formed colours and person too well recognizable to her.

Chloe.

And her struck down by a red lightsaber. It wasn't clear who was holding it, but when lightsaber killed Chloe Price with deadly precision and stroke into her face, Max fainted and then reawakened in reality again.


	13. Chapter Eleven: The Vortex

"CHLOE!" Max shouted, scared too much to see her new love die so soon. When she woke up in the van, she calmed down it is over. But what did it mean? Palpatine, using her powers to save the Empire? All rebels are dead, and the...Dark Lord is doubting more and more since he saw Max back at the junkyard? What the fuck?

But where is everyone? Young Caulfield thought of the worst - either captured or lying dead outside, because as she woke up, the van was empty. And stopped. With the tornado right at front of him. Well, not entirely. Are they...No, I would have been in the Dark Room again...or at the worse place...

When Maxine got everything right in her head, she took a rain jacket from her bag and wore it on her to keep her clothes dry. Then she came off the van to see they are at the beach.

Wowser, that is a hella big tornado. The first thing time warrior saw when she left van was the tornado. It was really huge. Enviroment literally flying around it, trees, benches, rocks...everything. Max could feel the electricity in the air, as well the tornado itself. She understood. It was the creation as well of time travelling, as well of the Force. Dark Side, no contest. The look was eneormly supported by monstrous Super Star Destroyer in the above, driving fear into every non-Imperial.

Then Maxine dispatched Frank with Pompidou and Warren together at the beach, near the dead whale, looking on it. And on the other side, at the broken stone in half, looking on a tornado, she saw Chloe. It is impossible to describe Max's feelings to Chloe at this moment...relieved to see her alright, love, sympathies...her heart had an emotional meltdown.

Pulled by newly found love to her dear punk, Max charged and jumped on Chloe like a jaguar. It was easy to explain the feelings of both girls - Chloe smiled a lot, Max was relieved.

"So, our Max Time-warrior is back. How was the trip to Dreamland?"The rebel asked Max with a smiley face. Max only blushed.

"Shut up. I am glad I have you here...You wouldn't trust what pain I had to endure to get you back..." That is all Maxine could get from her mouth in a moment. Her head was overflown by love and relief so much she only hugged her love Chloe. The punk did the same.

"Not even the biggest fuckers can't split us apart." Chloe stated when both girls were together. "And I am sorry you had to face the Dank Lord alone trying to save my ungrateful ass over and over."

"It is okay, Chloe. You are worth the risk to die..." Max replied to her lover. The hold of both girls was stronger.

Then Chloe cut off hugging as well as her nerd friend. "You should not hazard with your life so much. If I would lose you-"

Maximus just stopped Chloe from continue with a swift kiss. "I would rather let the world to die to save you. You are all that matters to me now." The lovely atmosphere was on and nothing in the world, even the tornado, would destroy it right now.

Unfortunately, a group of TIE fighters flew over the beach. Although it was for the first time unclear if they spotted the girls and guys, for security they had to move.

"Um, sorry to interrupt you ladies, but the Imps are up there. We should go" Frank said to everyone with a serious tone and let Pompidou to walk on his own legs.

Chloe and Max parted out of hug and nodded. "Where should we go?" Chloe asked, but everyone looked confused.

Then the time warrior looked on the lighthouse over the Arcadia Bay and dispatched a strange matter - lightning bolts coming from it, obvioulsy fueling the rampaging tornado.

Lightning? Max thought counfusely. Could it mean...

"To the lighthouse!" Max suddenly shouted, surprising everyone at the beach - Warren, Frank, Chloe. Even Pompidou scared a little.

"Are you sure, Max?" Warren asked the time warrior with fear and ankwardness in his tone. "With all those fighters above us and Imperials roaming all over the place..."

Max shut him up quickly with a fast reply: "Trust me! There is the switch we can stop all of this - Palpatine." Chloe stood up to Maxine as her bodyguard.

"If Max knows what is right, then we should follow it." Chloe said as a general.

Without any continuation, Frank and Warren did not object and followed the girls to the lighthouse. It was quite a challenge - Imperial Stormtroopers with AT-STs swarmed the forest and the hill, so it was nearly impossible to sneak past this army. But thanks to Max's newly found instincts, time rewind and the Force, they managed to get past the most of the troops.

But when they arrived to the steel fence where the lighthouse area starts, there were 9 Stormtroopers with red markings on their armor with an officer. The rain didn't matter anyone, even the uncovered Imperial. The heroes were surprised and confused - there was no way to sneak past them because of fence and every trooper was looking in different direction.

Then, Warren looked on Frank, they nodded and he said to girls with sad voice: "Wait here, we will lure them out."


	14. Chapter Twelve: The Sacrifice

What?!" Max suddenly turned on Warren and turned on her "dark" self. "You cannot throw your life because of me! Because of all of this! There is surely another way!"

Frank closed a little to debating nerds and blended in: "There is not. Look: If we only move a little, they would spot us. And you have to stay alive. If you are our only hope..." Frank sighed deeply and loudly, but luckily it was not spotted by the Stormtroopers. "...then let us die for you." Then, Chloe grabbed Max's shoulder and nodded. The rain made the atmosphere only worse.

"It is the only way, Max...If we want to stop this sci-fi bullshit..." Chloe's voice was easy to read - she was sad as well.

Max sighed and nodded. "I...understand." To say the last goodbye, she hughs Warren as much as she can. A second after, Chloe, Frank and even scared Pompidou joined the hug. It was mushy and nice, but time was running out - each second they wasted, the tornado was closer and closer to Arcadia Bay.

When the mushy hug was over, Maxine just warned the guys: "Just don't get shot too soon."

"We'll try not to." Then, Frank whispered something to Pompidou and in the second, all of the red stormtroopers spotted the cute dog on the road.

"Shoot that mongrel!" The officer shouted on the shocked stormtroopers and shot on the dog with his blaster. He missed, however, that shot enraged Pompidou, he jumped and started to bite off officer's throat. This was not a good look for Frank - One of the troopers took Pompidou off the officer, who bleeded out of throat torn apart, took his T-21 and shot a blaster right through the poor dog. His corpse fell on the wet ground...

"YOU MURDERERS!" Frank cried on the stormtroopers, especially the one who sent Pompidou into the animal heaven. "YOU FUCKING KILLED MY DOG!" He drew up his knife, but he quickly realized it was a fatal mistake bringing a knife against the heavy blasters.

"Blast him!" The stormtrooper at the front shouted and started firing on the drug dealer. Frank had luck to dodge the blaster in time and started to run away to lure the troopers out. Four of them left behind the escapist, but the other ones stood. When Warren saw that, he grabbed the nearest rock, drew out of bush hiding and threw it into the head of one of the Stormtroopers.

"Take that, bucketheads!" The nerd cried on the stunned soldiers and as his drug companion, he started to run away. But he wasn't as lucky as his fellow - right after he ran a few meters, a blaster bolt hit him in his right shoulder. Warren was wounded and if Chloe was not there, Max would shout out of fear and tell the Imperials where they are. The nerd at least tried to run, but two Stormtroopers catched him very quickly and took him away down the hill.

Frank, who had still been chased by four red Stormtroopers, was long way away from the girls so he did his work. He turned on a second on his pursuers and shouted as much as he could: "Ha, You slow like the snails-" Maybe Frank should have been more careful where he goes. And more quiet - Frank ran right into the AT-ST patrol and in a moment, he was lying in the sand, blasted by the fire from All terrain-Scout Transport. He could not feel his legs. Literally. The vehicle blasted them off.

"YOU ASSHOLES!" Frank shouted on the AT-ST and threw sand pointlessly on the Stormtroopers encircling him. He stopped as soon as the all E-11 there were pointing on his face. He realized they will kill him. But why do they wait? Frank asked himself. If they are here to kill us all, why do they-

Few moments later, a group of four stormtroopers with red marks bring in Warren bleeding out of his torn shoulder. They throw the nerd right to immobilized Frank and then step back. One of them took something from this belt and pushed some buttons on it. It looked like a small CD.

"What are they going to do to us?" Warren asked the drug dealer without any emotion. The bleeding shoulder pains him more than the truth they failed - some of the Stormtroopers still stood on the place they were few moments ago.

"What do you think?" Frank replied with a poisoned tone. The nerd did not answer, he understood.

Then, they both looked on a trooper with a device, and from it a hologram of hooded figure appeared. Warren immediately recognized that man.

The Emperor.

"My liege, we caught some rebels here, trying to get to you. What should we do to them?"

The stormtrooper asked his Majesty normally and saluted. The Emperor, full of confidence, looked on the captured drug dealer and the bleeding nerd, and smiled secretely.

"Our guest has arrived, commander." The hooded puppetmaster said to his loyal soldier with a dark and old voice. "These insurgents are useless to us now. Exterminate them, immediately!"

The guys were shocked, but not scared. They expected it. But not the stormtrooper. He scratched his helmet and replied confusely to his commander: "Are you sure, your Highness? We could use them as-"

"I said...exterminate them. Our friend will know what happens to the enemies and traitors of the Empire." The Emperor finished his transmission and with a devil's minor laugh, he cut it off.

"Yes, my liege." The trooper finished as well and for a few seconds looking on legless drug dealer and shoulder-less nerd, he sent a gesture to AT-ST.

"Blast them!" The AT-ST driver responded just with a thumbs-up.

When the vehicle cannons aimed on the wounded captives, Frank and Warren looked on each other and then on the chicken walker. They were sure Max and Chloe will do what is needed...They knew they did the right thing.

Then, the vehicle fired the blaster shots from its primary laser cannon and in a second, nothing left of professor Warren Graham and boss Frank Bowers...just a crater of dust and sand...


	15. Chapter Thirteen: The Rebellion

Max felt it. Thanks to the Force awaking in her, she could feel how Warren and Frank died...drastically. If Chloe was not there with her...No one knows what could have happened. It was painful. First Chloe, then the city, now Frank and Warren...it was too much suffering for young Caulfield.

But she had to get over it. She had to finish a mission - to take down Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader and the entire Galactic Empire to save everything dear to her. Arcadia Bay, the world, even her greatest love - Chloe Price.

"Max, come on, we can't fuck here any longer, or they will spot us!" Chloe urged on her time friend to get herself up and continue. Max nodded and was slowly rising to stand up, but the punk stroke her again down.

"Shh, do you want to get shot as Warren did?!" Chloe pulled Maxine down again into the bushes right before one of the two remaining stormtroopers there turned his sight on their hiding place. Luckily he did not catch them...yet.

When the girls were safe again, Max thought of a plan how to get through them. It was a daring, but a crazy plan.

"Give me that lightsaber." Max asked her mate to lend her a weapon she never had ever in her life. Chloe was shocked that the time warrior asked her that, but since they are together, Chloe did not have a reason not to trust her best friend. The punk handed over the strange weapon to Max.

"What are you gonna do, Max?" Chloe asked the Jedi-girl curiously.

The time warrior just replied: "Raise hell." And activated it. When the blue sharp light emerged from the saber, Max stood up and got the attention of the patrolling Stormtroopers.

"A Jedi!" One of the troopers shouted with pointing on Max with a lightsaber. The other one immediately aimed his E-11 on her and shouted on his comrade-in-arms.

"What are you doing? BLAST HER!" As the stormtrooper finished his sentence, both of them aimed on Max and opened fire on her. It was a scarce and wild fire, but the only shot would surely kill Max - one of the stormtroopers had T-21 heavy blaster, which shot through metal like a knife through butter.

With instincts of the Force, and a big portion of luck, Maxine managed to block the blaster fire, and accidentaly send one of the bolts into the stormtrooper with E-11. When his comrade saw it, he continued in fire, but he was surely stressed out and panicked, because most of the shots missed our hero. Luckily neither Chloe, hiding behind a tree in the bushes.

"Die...you...Jedi...bitch!" The standing stormtrooper shouted and fired on Max until his weapon overheated. When the soldier had to throw the T-21 into the grass because it was burning his hands, Max used it to her advantage and served a deadly blow to the Stormtrooper from below. At least the death was imminent and the soldier did not die suffering severe pain.

"Uf..." Max could not believe what did she do in the while - she killed a man. But felt no remorse. Is that a prove I am creation of the Dark Side? Max asked herself, scared she would turn against everyone she loves...

Fuck this shit. She stated and abandoned this thought. Fear is the path to the Dark Side, Master Yoda said.

"Max!" This scream brought Max back. Chloe...

Four red stormtroopers came back from the beach and found Max and her punk friend. Time warrior was still holding the lightsaber and did not think of putting it off.

"Stop right there!" The leading stormtrooper shouted and army gestured to encircle Max and Chloe. How the troopers closer were, the more Max was swinging her weapon to fend them off. Unfortunately, they kept a distance from the girls so much any swing was pointless.

"Max...got a plan?" Chloe secretely whispered into Maxine's ear, looking on the Imperials at the same time with a scared look.

The nerd girl looked frustrated and locked on the two stormtroopers at her right side, the only words she could spill out were: "Working on it."

The stormtroopers finished the encircling and aimed their blasters on the heroines. Max gripped Chloe's hand tightly. If I have to die this way...She said not only to herself, but also to Chloe...I will die alongside my lifetime partner.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, somebody shouted: "Now it's my turn!" and a single blaster shot came out of a bush placed above the encircled girls. The blaster hit the commanding Stormtrooper, who did not have enough time and speed to react. After that, an animal crying sounded all over the place and a large blaster bolt hit the Stormtrooper near Chloe and sending his dead body right against the strong oak. It was quite painful, but the trooper did not feel any pain. Thankfully.

Max used the chaos to her advantage and stroke down the remaining stormtroopers by her...well, Chloe's, lightsaber. One of them fell down from the cliff, while the other one fell in the mud near them.

When the fight was over, Max and Chloe hugged that they survived it. But who saved them?

The bushes started to shake. The girls turned surprisingly in the direction of the sound and awaited their savior. Or their murderer, if it is a bounty hunter. Fortunately, an old man with a small blaster in his hand came out of hiding and behind him, a giant monkey-looking creature with a crossbow in his hands. Its brown skin was all wet because of the heavy rain. It looked really angry and that raging roar very similiar to grizzly bear proved it.

"Calm down, Chewie. Rain isn't so bad. At least you will be clean." The old man stated with the blaster poining on the skies. Then he turned on the girls, reached out to them and started to speak. His old voice was partially cracked, however he managed to keep fit somehow.

"Everything all right, ladies?" he asked politely and looked closely on Max. She showed her angry face, in hopes to fend him off. Without a success.

"You should have been more careful, girl. The Imperials are not easy to fight with." Then the old man smirked his nose because of cold he catched hiding in the bushes and continued. "Name's Han Solo. I know why are you here. Eavesdropping on Imperial communication is simple." Max and Chloe smiled a little because recognizing the smuggler Han Solo was amazing. Not so amazing in the while when certain death awaited them, but...Max rather stood quiet because she did not know what to say.

"Want some backup against Palpatine?" The smuggler asked the girls with a panache. When Chloe looked on him and his wookie companion, she could not hold herself in a matter of sarcasm.

"Old guys vs. a centruy-old assholes. You belong in the museum, bagger." Chloe commented Han's and Chewie's age. Han looks like a grandfather - 15 years have been cruel to him and the galaxy, maybe. But Chewbacca - the age seems does not mean anything to him. But punk's note enraged him a bit, but Han held him off Chloe Price. Luckily.

"We will handle them both ourselves, Solo. Thanks for help." Max said to the elderly smuggler to please him at least. Han Solo, calm as always, smiled and waved on Chewbacca. The wookie then gestured something into the bushes and few seconds later, a group of five rebel soldiers came out. The girls stood stunned - the Rebel troops, with legendary Han Solo - although they were not much fans of Star Wars, they admitted they felt like kids at front of them.

Han then signalled the rebels to secure the road and block all the Imperials coming to the lighthouse. "We need to give ladies here cover until they finish off the Emperor. If any Imperial comes through, I will wash your head with Calamari Whiskey mixed with Geonosian bleach!" The soldier, the youngest of them, gulped - he knows what this mix does - literally melts your head.

The rebels were in position to hold off the Imperial Army, so Max and Chloe could continue towards the lighthouse for the final confrontation.

"May the Force be with you, Maxine." Han said to young Caulfield. She just turned on the old smuggler and replied: "Max, never Maxine. With you too, Solo." And as the girls ventured to the lighthouse, Han Solo and Chewbacca, along with the remaining rebel soldiers, prepared to buy Max and Chloe so much time as they can until it is done...

"If we get out of this in one shape, Chewie, I am going into full pension!" Chewie's loud charismatic cry ment the agreement of the Wookie...


	16. Chapter Fourteen: The Confrontation

Through the mother nature itself, through the dead carcasses of squirrels and does, through the torn trees and crushed rocks, Maxine Caulfield and Chloe Price ventured to the lighthouse, the place of their childhood, to face their greatest nightmare - Emperor Palpatine, the icon of evil and the cause why Max has these powers. She hoped in quick explanation, either from Yoda or Palpatine, but her intention was to take him down - for the sake of Arcadia Bay...the world.

When they finally climbed the muddy hill and reached the lighthouse, Chloe dispatched the Emperor hurling lightning bolts into the tornado, what - not much to deducate - fueled the tornado in its destructive power. Palpatine was laughing as a devil, with his dark apprentice behind his back. Max could clearly see the face behind the torn metal mask - Anakin Skywalker, a promising Jedi Knight turned into a maniac Sith Lord and a twisted servant. I hope there is still some Light in him. Max said this to herself. If he is hesistating...

Suddenly, Chloe pushed Time warrior to the ground with words in her mouth: "Max, duck or they will see us!" Luckily, quietly enough not to draw attention of the Dark Lords.

The girls decided to observe the Sith and wait for the right moment to jump in and kick their arses. The Emperor's words proved them in their decision.

With the cackling laugh ending, Palpatine asked his apprentice: "Beautiful look, isn't it, Lord Vader?"

The dark apprentice did not look on the tornado, because his thoughts concentrated on something else. That also slowed his reaction: "It is, my master."

"You seem to have doubts, my apprentice." Palpatine immediately found out Vader doubts about this operation to catch young Max. The master turned slowly on his apprentice and continued with a dark voice in his monologue: "Do not fear. Soon she submits to our will and we will rule the galaxy...or the galaxies. Nothing shall stand in our way...when we control the time and reality itself."

Max understood. Too well. It was clear that Palpatine knew about her powers...but this...

"Not anymore!" the Jedi girl cried on the Sith Lords and despite her best friend Chloe tried to stop her, Max came out of the bushes they were hiding in and stood before the Emperor and the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Palpatine, smiling as a devil, noticed young Caulfield and started to talk: "Ah, our young Maxine Caulfield decided to join in the conversation. Do you wish to rejoin your old comrades, my child?"

"I am not your child, fiend!" Max threw this with her quick mouth on the dark backstabber and continued: "I am here to end your rule...and your control over me!"

The Emperor laughed with evil and cackling in it and replied. The Dark Lord looked with his torn mask on Max and Chloe, who decided to stand by her lover's side.

"You do not understand, my Hand..." Palpatine made a short dramatic pause and then went on: "I am your creator. I have forged your power to control time. From a little wisp of the Force I have made a flood...Without me, you would not control your powers so easily and so confidently, young Caulfield."

Chloe joined in and started with her classical lines: "Dude, do not even fuck with her head! You do not know what we came through and you will not break it up. We're team!"

The dark lord just laughed and poined his gray old finger on the punk: "Silence, rebel worm. You do not have the right to speak with me as you want." As a warning, the Emperor sent a lightning bolt towards Chloe and pushed her into the tree. She was not hurt or stunned, only noticed to be quiet.

Then Palpatine continued and was closing to Max slowly: "Your powers are not random, my child. They are my masterpiece. Your masterpiece. The art of the Dark Side perfected in its finest form. You should not waste this gift on that rebel scum or yourself. You were ment to trun the final rabble of the Rebellion into the dust of Forsake and history...not to help them in their meaningless resistance against the iron will of the Empire...of MY will!"

Caulfield was scared when with that "rebel scum" meant Chloe and repelled: "They are more worth of saving that your pathetic Empire. The Dark Side and oppresion is nothing compared to love, friendship and loyalty! You are nothing, Palpatine!" Vader was looking into the ground, doubts scavenging his mind. No one since Endor stood against his master this way. No one, even the Warlords.

"You are surprising one, Caulfield. But every rebel must be punished!" It looks like Max's words did not catch him unprepared. "I counted every day, every hour, every second until I find you...until I force you to submit to my unending will! You will learn the price of betrayal. It is time to teach you the true power of the Dark Side! Lord Vader..."

"With pleasure, my master." Without finishing, Vader activated his lightsaber and without needing any order, he started to reach Maxine to strike her down. Our heroine was scared, but resolved at the same time.

"Get him out of the way. He is not your primal enemy!" The robotic voice sounded in Max's troubled head, recognizing the dark person from the last nightmare.

When the time warrior looked around her for something to throw against the Dark Lord of the Sith, besided small rocks and thin branches, she dispatched a large massive log of wood.

Okay, If I really can control the Force...Maxinde rasied her right hand on the log and tried to lift it with the Force. When the Emperor saw that, he bursted into maniacall laught and said: "You are too weak to control the Force this way, my child!"

But the log lifted. Everyone looked surprised. As the Emperor with his grin turning into stun, Vader through his destroyed mask, as well Chloe looking on her girlfriend as a little kid. The most surprised was Max, however. She did not even expect to work this way, but who cares?

I did it! Now the hard part...

When the Jedi girl was holding the log, she threw it with all her Force strength towards Darth Vader.

"Wha-" That is the only word the Dark Lord could say before the log hit him hard and threw him right into the lighthouse. The structure collapsed under its strength and the half of it with the signal light fell deep into the ocean. Either Vader was in the collapsed part or not, that did not matter. That's the apprentice... Max thought. ...the master is next.

"It seems I have underestimated your potential, my child. I will not make the same mistake again!" The Emperor, as he finished the sentence full of venom poison, took out of his sleeves two lightsabers: his own in the right hand, and the unknown one in the left hand. That lightsaber that Palpatine was holding was too obvious to Max. She knew immediately who possessed that weapon before the Dark Master...

For you, Skywalker... Max prasied to the skies and raised her hand. The left lightsaber was pulled out of Emperor's hand and got into her hand quickly.

"Chloe, catch!" The time warrior shouted on her rebel companion and threw the borrowed lightsaber towards her. Chloe catched it with master precision and stood right next to Jedi Max.

Emperor looked curiously on the girls and stated coldly: "You have exchanged the Empire for one rebel foolish worm?! So be it...Jedi!" Then, he activated his lightsaber, with sharp red light coming from its hilt and stood in a battle position. "If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed!"

Max and Chloe, standing against the Ultimate Evil at the place of their childhood, turned on their lightsabers: Chloe with the blue light, and Max with the green sharp light. They stood into a fencing position. Although the rebel had some experience with the weapon, she rather stood behind her best friend because she was partially scared of Palpatine.

"Rather to die for Chloe than live for your pitful Empire!" Max cried on the Emperor, with full of anger and disagree. On that, Chloe smiled and continued: "As I said, you will not split us apart. Never!"

Palpatine did not move a muscle in his old gray face and said without any emotion: "It's treason, then."

A voice of Master Yoda appeared in Max's mind. Wisdom, as always: "Use the Force, you must. The Emperor, a dangerous foe, he is." I will, Master Yoda... Max whispered to her Jedi Master.

And in the while, the Emperor charged with his Force Whirl on the girls. He was damn quick in his attacks, Max and Chloe had a lot of trouble to block them, even harder to parry. They did as best as they could do, but it was almost useless against the master of the Dark Side himself.

Chloe blocked and dodged some of Palpatine's ripostes and then, when she did not expect it, he threw a lightning bolt from his left hand, while clashing his lightsaber with Maxine's, right into Chloe's chest. It did not kill her, but the punk was thrown a few meters from the Dark Side master and the Jedi Girl.

"CHLOE!" Max shouted on the far thrown rebel, but the clashing of lightsabers was too loud so there was no chance Chloe could hear it. But Max realized even she would try to reverse it with time rewind, it would be pointless - if the Emperor created it, so It would have no point because the rewind will not harm him and he will only get the advantage. "The Emperor is truly aware of your powers, Max." Voice of old Ben Kenobi sounded to Max. "Do not try to use them against him - he will use it against you." I will not, Ben. I will not.

"You will submit to my command, I have forseen it!" The Emperor threw this into Max's face while the lightsaber clashed and continued to push the young Caulfield. He won the clash, but Palpatine missed the chance to strike Max down. She continued to block red saber with her green blade many of the Sith's attacks and it looked like a Cossack dance.

When Max overjumped Palpatine's lightsaber targeted on her legs, she kicked him into the chest while she was in air, performed a backflip and landed successfully in the ground. The Sith Lord, however, was rising up from mud and the rain made his robes only darker.

"I have been underestimaing you more than I should have. You still have a chance..."

The Emperor tried to get Max to the Dark Side, it was clear for her. But what does he plan?

"You have wasted my gift to you for your own reasons...very Sith-like. I can ensure the protection for both of you and your friend...if you submit to the Dark Side once again...Or..."

When the last noun came of the Darkener's mouth, he stroke a lightning bolt into Chloe, who tried to attack Palpatine from behind. Unsuccessfully.

"Argh!" Chloe squeaked from pain and was thrown against the small house near the lighthouse. The pain was so unbearable it looked like her eyes would come out of the eyeholes in any minute.

But for Max, a lot worse. She suffered a lot more. The train, Prescott, Jefferson, Vader...Chloe's constant dying was too much for her. And it looked like the Emperor knew it. He knows exactly on which string to play, which lever to pull to get what he wants. Would he really kill Chloe just to force Max to submit, or did he only play with her? Is that a trick how to turn Maxine Caulfield to the Dark Side?

She could not hold it anymore.

"NO!" Max, full of hatred and anger, charged towards Emperor Palpatine and stroke some hard attacks on him. He successfully blocked them, but it was clear he had to give out his best to do that.

Caulfield continued in the rage. Constant attacks from below, hard strikes on the head...Palpatine was almost cornered. Jedi girl's attacks pushed the Dark Lord more and more to the cliff. Rage was constant and clear, even for stunned Chloe. Not stunned as losing conciousness, but amazed how Max controls her green lightsaber - like she was born for it. Like Chloe back in the Dark Room, Time Warrior was a quick learner.

Maxine continued in her berserk attacking and when she and Palpatine were standing on the cliff, where one wrong step meant immediate death, The Emperor and Max were clashing their lightsabers in a deadly whirlwind and when the Dark Lord poised to strike down Time Warrior from above, Max masterly dodged and hit Emperor's lightsaber hand with 100% precision. It was not cut off, however the lightsaber has been destroyed and fell into the deep ocean beneath them. Then, the Jedi Girl pointed her blade towards Emperor Palpatine.

Without any sense, Palpatine started to laugh: "Good, good." With his cackling voice, it sounded kinda scary.

"You have made a fantastic progress. You have passed your final test, my young Hand." Emperor then laughed devilishl a little and continued: "Without me or lord Vader to lead you, you evolved your skills and powers more than I have ever expected. You are truly a rarity of the Force, Maxine Caulfield."

Max gave shit about all of this and interrupted the Emperor's monologue: "Shut up. I am going to end it here, now. Once, and for all." Her anger or hate didn't lower...

But the only answer Maxine got was Palpatine's evil cackling laugh. "I do not think so, my child. You know this is all true...no fiction as those spirits tried to fool you with...I am your future. The Empire is your future...you must accept that, my Hand." Then, the Emperor pointed on tornado and went on: "This is your consequence, Caulfield. You have caused this. This...storm. You are the reason why everyone around you is dying a horribe way. You can avert it...by rejoining the Empire and serve your true purpose."

"No! I will not-" Max offended and tried to object, but a terrible headache combined with dark voices in her head made it a lot harder to concentrate. She was still pointing her lightsaber on the Sith Lord, but her sight obfuscated because of pain.

"There is no other way...show me your true alliegance, my child, and rejoin your family of the Empire. Strike down that rebel and you can come back as my new apprentice..."

Unluckily, Vader came out of ruined lighthouse, but in a lot damaged shape - his mask was almost ripped off, while segments of his armor either missing, cracked or torn apart. His cloak looked like it was torn by a lion or a wolf. But he could barely stand, that was a real challenge for almost crippled Sith Lord. And he was shocked by his dark master's words - Palpatine intended to replace him with Hand!

Max could not believe her ears. Palpatine asks her to kill Chloe! Her best friend, companion, lover...just to take her back? What the fuck?! What does he think?! Max tried to think, but the headache was a pain to her, not only physically.

When she turned around, Max could see the point where she and Chloe met Han Solo - the rebels, smuggler and Wookie held off most of the Imperials, but at the moment, AT-STs were slowly reaching the rebels and if something does not happen quickly, the Imperials will surely break through.

Chloe...

My best friend...

Lover...

Since my childhood...

Should I sacrifice myself and "kill" her to save the world?

Or...

Stand to her and possibly die along her?

"The Dark Side's tempt is more dangerous than it's power..." - Max remembered on the hooded masked person in the nightmare and his words. Could it mean...

"She is more dear to you than you ever know..." Ben Kenobi surely meant Chloe...Could he mean..."

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." Master Yoda's words perfectly described Max's situation. She gone through all - fear, anger, hate...and suffering. Could she...


	17. Chapter Fifteen: The Redemption

"Never!" Max could not do it. Chloe...she was her angel. Since her younghood, Chloe and Max were best friends. Nothing could tear them apart, not even the greatest villian ever known. Not even death.

Maxine deactivated her lightsaber and threw it down into the abyss. "I will not join you." The jedi girl stated without an emotion and continued: "It ends here. You failed, Your Highness. I am with Chloe...I will stand by her until death!"

Emperor's face turned into grin when Max finished her talking and after a while of Palpatine and Time Warrior looking on themselves, The Dark Lord cut the silence. "So...you will die!"

The strong wave of lightning stroke Max directly into the chest and threw her against the pine.

"MAX!" Chloe shouted and ran towards her lover, but Emperor saw her and gave her the same portion of lightning bolts. He was slowly closing towards lying girls, with a devilish smile and his battered apprentice behind him.

"You have choosen poorly, and so you will pay for your naivity!" Palpatine said to Max and Chloe and stroke them both with a new series of lightning. The pain was really unbearable, the skin of both girls started to be cooked slowly. The Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, was once looking on tortured girls and then turned his sight on his dark master. His breath was heavy because of damaged breathing mask processor and most of his burned face was shown off. It really looked like the sith apprentice was hesistating.

"And now, at the end, do you understand." The Emperor kept striking Maxine and Chloe with lightning along with evil cackling laugh. The tornado was closing to Arcadia Bay more and more, and Max was slowly losing hope. I will die... she thought sadly. ...at least I will die with Chloe at my side...

For a short moment, Palpatine stopped with torture, moved his look a little upwards to girls and stated: "Now, you rebel scum...you will die." And with a devil's smile, he started to shock Maxine and Chloe, partners in life and death, until they breath for the last time.

When Chloe looked on her Jedi friend and vice versa, they grabbed each one's hand as a symbol they will be together forever. Emperor was only more and more raging, raising the pain of the lightning bolts more and more. The rain only made it a lot worse. For sure, Max and Chloe would not hold for long and the Emperor will drain every single part of life remaining in them until they die...

Darth Vader was really hesistating. Not turning Max Caulfield back to the dark side proved him she has to be eradicated to ensure the survival of the Galactic Empire. But the recent events at the old barn and here at the lighthouse fed doubt inside the Dark Lord's mind so much he could not easily fend it off his head. He could die soon if the Force will abandon him. Thanks to it he still stands at his own legs and breathes. But for how much longer? And when he saw Max and Chloe grabbing hands, his mind was in crucial conflict between Light and Dark...

"Loyalty, Love, Friendship...You will never learn these traits!"... These were the words of blue haired rebel back in the underground bunker before Vader fought her with lightsaber. Now, he realized it...he should have long before when he stroke down his son...

The redeemed Anakin Skywalker stood between Maxine Caulfield, Chloe Price and Emperor Palpatine. The lightning stroke him fatally, disabling the remaining functions of his armor and shortening his life. But the former Sith Lord gathered the last strength...

And Force pushed his master from the cliff. Skywalker fell on the ground with heavy robotic damaged breathing, relieved he saved the Hand. Palpatine's scream was heard all around the hill, as well the Imperials fighting Han Solo, Chewbacca and the Rebels, as well at the top at the ruined lighthouse. The lightning followed him right into the deadly vortex he created.

Something miraculous happened. When Palpatine died in the whirl of the tornado, waves of blue energy was emerging from the vortex, creating a magnificent look. Max and Chloe were stunned and looked into it like it was a beaufitul painting. They stood on the cliff, observing the collapsing tornado...

"Look out!" Han shouted on his fellows and withdrew into the woods. Stormtroopers wanted to follow them and hunt them down, but the blue energy said something else with acts.

An AT-ST was hit and turned into a metal scrap ball, along with the drivers. And when two of confused troopers were hit by it and burned to flesh, the battalion tried to escape.

But they did not have luck. As well as the rest of Imperial Forces. AT-ATs, TIE Fighters, Stormtroopers...everything was burned or stroke down by the tornado's collapsing power. And when the city and forest were cleared out of Imperials, a large lightning bolt hit the Super Star Destroyer placed highly above Arcadia Bay. Its commander was not pleased when he and the rest of the crew saw the energy bolt charging right into the ship.

"Evasive maneuvers!" shouted admiral Conan Antonio Motti to the crew, but it was too late. The bolt rammed into the destroyer like a torpedo and caused a massive explosion inside the battleship. The result was the Super Star Destroyer Ahniliator was blown up from inside, instantly killing every single member of 7,000 crew, admiral Motti included.

After this, the tornado succumbed into the ocean deep.


	18. Chapter Sixteen: An Ending

Silence.

Only silence.

Maxine and Chloe...saviours of the world...and defeaters of the Emperor of Galactic Empire. Empire was defeated. Arcadia Bay has been saved. The sun was rising in the far, doing a magnificent shining effect on the sea. People started to come out of their shelters. When they saw piles of scrap metal, ruined AT-ATs and burned Stormtroopers, enormous celebrations held place. They survived.

Thanks to Max and Chloe...who were hugging on the cliff, observed by Han Solo and Chewbacca, slowly reaching our female heroes. They kept a decent distance not to disturb the girls. And the hugging slowly evolved into passionate kissing...It was a saviour moment for all the people on the place. Han, Chewie, Max and Chloe...

"Vader..." When the kissing ended, Maxine remembered that the Dark Lord stepped between the girls and Palpatine...to save them. Did he see the Light... Max thought when she and Chloe went to the falled Anakin Skywalker. Not dead...yet. Only lying powerless in the wet grass.

Anakin tried to stand up, but the Force was slowly fading from him...Max sensed it. He is meant to die here...

"Max...help me...take this mask off..." Anakin, breathing the last air of his life, asked this with honest tone to young Jedi who fought the Emperor.

Maxine gulped a little and commented: "But that will kill you." And kneeled closer to the dying redeemed Jedi.

Vader put his battered hand on her shoulder and continued with tired voice: "That is...unavoidable now...I just want...to see my saviours...by both of my own eyes..."

Chloe, standing right behind her lover, helped Max taking down the rest of remaining mask of the former Sith Lord. It was not so hard, but the torn parts were sharp. Girls got almost cut when they were getting the last part off Anakin's face.

The mask was put off. The look on Anakin Skywalker's uncovered face was horrible. The white face with burn scars all over. The person behind the dark mask was a lot older than Max and Chloe expected. And less scary.

Relief was readable from Anakin's damaged face, as Max and Chloe looked into his grey eyes. It was unbelieveable this old man, known for his undying loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire, would throw away his own life to save two unknown girls. But that does not mattered. He saved them and they were hella grateful.

"Now...Max and...Chloe...leave me here..." said Anakin with unending pain in his throat, thankfully he did not coughed off blood. Max went sad and immediately started to object.

"No, you deserve salvation. I am not gonna leave you die this way, I will save you!" When the time warrior finished up and started to cry a little, the redeemed Jedi grabbed her arm strongly as he could from his last.

Then he told her slowly and with a weak voice: "You already...have, my...friend. You were right...Luke was right...everyone was right...and I was wrong..."

Vader coughed a little and went on again: "Keep an eye on your friends... and tell Ben...he was right..."

Maxine and Anakin sent smile to each other with kindness and after his nice gesture, Anakin fell into the ground, making his last breath...Anakin Skywalker, the redeemed Jedi, passed away.

The jedi girl had to swap a tear away from her eye. Seeing the man who saved her dying so...unrespectfully was...too much for young Max. Chloe hugged her, because she also felt bad about the death of the Chosen One. But unlike Max, she could not hold several tears. Like at the junkyard in the alternate reality when they found dead Rachel...but reversed.

Suddenly, the body of deceased Darth Vader started to disperse into the air like Yoda or Ben Kenobi in Maxine's vision. Small black and gray squares dispersed slowly into the skies and after a while, there was no one left to mourn.

When Max tried to stand up, her nose started to bleed again. Why? Emperor is dead, the mistake has been erased. So why is she having these nosebleeds again and again?

What the...It is not over...why?...

Han and Chewie disappeared as well, but no one saw how.

Chloe catched falling Max quickly and held her as tight as she could.

Before Caulfield fell into uncouciousness again and the world blended into white, she saw the spirit of Master Yoda in the woods, saying: "The anomality repaired, has been. The time into its original form, must be forged back:"

Max knew what it means...

Chloe...

No...

The world turned into bright white and Maxine reawakened at the bench...at the very familiar place...


	19. Chapter Seventeen: Conclusion or not?

Max reawakened at the lighthouse. But everything was different.

The Bay was whole, no evidence or mark of the battle. Lighthouse was whole and the weather with sun did not look like it would change radically into something a lot worse. Everything seemed so positive...

But our hero knew what happened...Chloe Price, lover, best friend and loyal companion...had to die. She does not remember the scene at the bathroom, but she knows how it ended...

A shot in the belly...a painful death... Max thought. ...why?...

Max remembered on everything they went through, no matter which reality it was...the diner, junkyard, the Blackwell Pool, Beach...even the kiss...

But it was over. Her best friend is dead, no matter what they did together. Those times are already gone. Time to be the adult...

And Caulfield rose up from the bench and slowly descended the hill to go back to Blackwell. She recognized she had black dress on her with a doe necklace...

Surely a bad omen... Max said to herself. ...oh, Chloe...

Max slowly, with sadness and depression inside, walked over the beach and looked on the sun and the sea.

Golden hour...Chloe loved it... With these words, Caulfield decided to spend a while at the sandy beach and look on the beautiful sceneria forming at front of her...She stayed in the sand and did not care her boots were full of sand...

Maxine let the wind touch her skin mildly, as well as face. She could feel its fingers all around the body. The sand under her feet reminded her of Chloe's bed and the sunshine brought all the memories on rebel punk Chloe Price all back...

Chloe...I am so, so sorry...I did not want to do this...

Out of nowhere, a figure jumped on Max. The mouse was so scared she fell into the water and was completely wet. When Max found out who jumped on her, she could scarcely breathe...

"What, do not like people to jump on your back like a monkey?" A familiar voice with the legendary smile and tone. The clothes were too rebel not to be recognized, as well the hair.

"Chloe!" Max, despite of water slowing her down or the wet dress waving under her legs, she ran towards her beloved rebel and hugged her from relief and love as much as she could.

"I thought you were dead." Caulfield quietly whispered into Chloe's ear. She was surprised to hear that from her best friend.

When hugging ended, it was time for Chloe to ask: "Dead? Dude, are you high? You hella saved my life!"

Max felt ankwardly. So, the incident at the bathroom happened. But if Chloe was not shot by Nathan, then why is Max in mourning clothes?

Suddenly, Chloe's phone buzzed and a message arrived. Max looked too to "inform" herself. It was from Justin:

NATHAN HAS A FUNERAL TODAY. DO NOT FORGET TO ATTEND.

Nathan? What... Max thought Chloe has to die...but if Nathan...

"Consider this as a thank gift, Max..." A robotic voice sounded in Maxine's troubled head and all the voices silenced...the link to the Force was cut off finally...No more visions, no more nightmares...

"Fuck the funeral. Want to hang out at my place? I do not get why he has a funeral...Fuck his family." Chloe turned off the phone and her tone had shown clearly she does not have any intention to attend to a funeral of a prick who wanted to kill her...

But Max shaked her head. "Still, he was a Blackwell student. We should pay him AT LEAST some farewell..."

Chloe resigned as she knew it from the start. "Oh, okay...just let me to stop at home to resuit...this one is not for funeral."

"Your call, Chloe." Maxine stayed a little longer on a sunny beach, while Chloe left to her truck.

Our hero was a lot relieved. Chloe is alive, Bay is intact, she is okay...And although they have to go to the funeral, which is not much an entertaining event, Max thought about Chloe more and more. What about...their love?

Does she feel it? As me...? We shall see.

Could it get any better today?

Then, some black robe came out of water and was splashed by a water wave on the beach. Max at first did not dispatch the clothes, but when she saw them and looked closely, she recognized who wore them...

An old dark voice sounded in her head. "This is not over...It has just started..."

Fuck you. Max said to the voice and left to rejoin Chloe. She did not care about anymore meetings with Sith Lords, Ghosts or even any Star Wars characters...

But this is a tale for another time...

 _ **END OF ACT I.**_


	20. ACT I AU: Twilight of the Emperor

Max unbelieveably slowly kneeled before the Emperor. Surprising to everyone on the hill, Time Warrior has yielded to the Dark Lord. Chloe was looking like she was struck by a lightning. Her best friend, lover... surrenders to someone who would kill her if he gets a chance. And the battered lord Vader? He was still standing at the ruin of a lighthouse, staring at his master, putting his gray hand on Maxine's hair.

"You have done well... my apprentice." The Emperor's old and dark voice only stirred up more Max's messed up head.

Max was literally a ruin. She kneeled because she did not want to hurt Chloe anymore... She wanted to keep her safe and sound, away from Palpatine's wrath upon her. Her head was filled by the voices of a Dark Stranger, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Yoda, as well of Emperor Palpatine's poisoned speech... but also, her own...

I told you you are fucked... Now you end up as his bitch. The other "evil" Max was a clear voice above all. Everything else was a murmling and too not-understandable. Shut the fuck up.

But a few seconds after, Emperor's tricky voice triumphed over the remaining ones and soon, there was no voice in Max's troubled head to oppose him.

"You have found the salvation at last, my child." The Dark Lord's monologue brainwashed Max more and more. Despite her strong will and motivation to keep her friends alive, kneeling and Palpatine's illustrious art of persuation and influence... The voice continued to linger and go on, turning the Jedi to its dark side...

"Your training is complete. Soon, the galaxy will bow before you... You have chosen right, my child. With you at my side, this rebel rabble will be ahniliated once and for all!"

Max's face started to change... Her eyes were coloured in light red to orange, face slowly rooting up with the corruption of the dark side - blackening cheeks, visible veins... and minor black circles around her eyes.

"There is just one last step..." The Emperor cut off the voice, like he was speaking to Max for real, and slowly pointed with this long gray filthy finger on Chloe, standing in the background. The Time Warrior turned on her rebel lover and hesistated...

The last remnant of Max's willpower tried to oppose Palpatine's Dark Side corruption, but the girl was so frustrated and broken she did not wait too long for a remind...

"Yes... My... master." These words from Caulfield's mouth hit Chloe like a sharp dagger in the heart. Then, Maxine took her lightsaber and slowly, no emotion in her innocent face, walked towards Chloe Price. The punk did not take her blue lightsaber nor try to escape. She just stood on place, but panicking and fear was readable from her mimicks. As Max was more and more close, the more pain Chloe felt in her heart...

"Max...Please, turn back. Do not listen to that motherf-" Suddenly, before punk could finish her sentence, an invisible hand grabbed her throat and began to choke her. Then, Chloe looked on her lover and discovered it is actually Maxine's work - Force Choke with her left hand.

Chloe fell in the mud, sitting on her knees like a victim. Caulfield was only a step from her. Tears bursted out of rebel's eyes, with a thought her best friend would kill her in cold blood, no remorse.

"He is the Emperor, rebel SCUM!" And when the dirty word sounded, the deadly green lightsaber swiped through Chloe's face like a knife through a butter. It was burned whole and simply erased. Her dead body fell in the wet mud and the rain washing the blood slowly pouring from the face scar into the ground...

Max would fall into ruin right now... if she was not controlled completely by the Dark Side... and Palpatine. The Dark Apprentice smiled a little.

Emperor's smile turned into a devilish laugh. His scheme was complete. Turning Max Caulfield, a time warrior and a rebel, to his side... to the Dark Side. Returning her in the hands of the Galactic Empire. His triumph done. The puzzle of the Dark side whole. And no one could oppose his will ever...

Except one.

"I should have expected this... my master..." A broken voice of Darth Vader sounded from the lighthouse. His realization of the fact the Emperor wanted to replace him with someone younger and someone more powerful... It felt like a dagger in the back. The conflict with the Light Side was more and more intense, readable both by Palpatine and dark Maxine.

"You are right... but you are done... Skywalker." The darkener noted and turned his head slowly to his newly recovered dark apprentice. "Deal with him, my child. Another stone to slow down the Empire. You know the penalty for treason."

Max just nodded her head with a devil's smile on cheeks and answered: "Of course, Your Highness." The dark apprentice took her green lightsaber, pulled the deceased rebel's blue lightsaber, activated it and charged towards the redeemed Anakin Skywalker with the Force Speed.

The former Dark Lord activated his lightsaber and tried to block the incoming Sith attacker, but she was too fast for Anakin. When he was striking from above, Maxine chopped down his right hand with the weapon, cut down the other one and slammed down his breath mask. The gray face fallen in the ground, with rain making his downfall only more melodramatic.

"The purity of the Sith... lies withi-" But before the Skywalker could have ever finished his last sentence, the Hand of Emperor Palpatine, with him smiling in the background, whirled her deadly lightsabers and turning back to the broken Sith, she stroke both of them through his belly. The quick, agonizing pain filled Anakin's body, completely paralyzing him and when the lightsabers left his body, he fell into the muddy ground, dead. Darth Vader, possibly the strongest Dark Lord of the Sith ever lived, killed by the hand of Maxine Caulfield, a new apprentice to the Emperor.

Max returned to his master at the deadly cliff and kneeled again. "The traitors have been punished, my Master."

"Good... Good, my child." Palpatine's voice was satisfied and dark. "You have passed your true Final test. With lord Vader and that punk dead, your path to the Dark Side has ended, my apprentice. Together, we shall unite the galaxy and show the people of all races and nations that the Empire is the only answer for order and prosperity."

Then, a group of red Shock Troopers, accompanied by an Imperial Officer and a few common Stormtroopers, entered the scene, seeing the dead bodies of Chloe Price and Darth Vader, then they dispatched their dark master and his dark Hand.

The officer, partially panicking from what to say to the Emperor, slowly reached towards Palpatine and saluted. "My liege, we dealt with the Rebels. They are dead, every single one of them."

The Emperor slowly turned on the reporting officer and smiled a little. "Great." He put his hand on Max's shoulder and continued: "What about the smuggler and his pet wookie?"

"Exterminated. An AT-ST blown up their ship when they tried to escape, my liege. And the city... ahniliated. No one survived. The Death Squads are searching the ruins for possible survivors and escapists."

Palpatine bursted out an evil cackling laugh. "Everything... is I have forseen." Then the laugh continued, with everyone looking on the dark tornado.

Max could not think straight. When she heard of the death of Han Solo and Chewbacca, she did not move a muscle. But she panicked when hearing of the fate of Arcadia Bay...

Victoria, Kate, David... Everyone there... They are dead... and for what?

Did they die for nothing, or they were sacrificed to preserve the rule of the Empire?

Her own doubt started to devour her slowly, but the Emperor's Hand threw all of her doubts out of her head when her dark master put his gray hand on her shoulder.

A Lambda-class shuttle landed. The Emperor moved to board it, along with the troopers under his direct command.

"Come, my child. There is one thing left..."

...

Maxine entered the Emperor's throne room atop on the Death Star battle station as a new person. From a nerd, an investigator and a hero... a Sith Lord. Mastered by the art of Emperor Sheev Palpatine and the Dark Side of the Force. A time warrior destined to defeat the Sith Lords... became one of them.

Her new look was scary and intimidating. Full armor with high leather boots. Imperial insignias on the black pauldrons, a short dark cloak with a hood and Vader-like chestplate. She looked like Darth's copy without a mask. With Luke Skywalker's lightsaber hanged on her belt.

And her thought? Totally dark. She is not our Max Caulfield anymore. Not a nerd, not a hero. Darth Selendis, that is her new name, given to her by the Emperor.

Selendis reached Palpatine's throne with confidence and pride. Seeing the Royal Guards at the blast door standing in attention when she entered pleased her. Her place in the Empire was secure and, considering Darth Vader's pitful death, also very high.

"You arrived, lady Selendis. Good." The Emperor's voice was filled with age and expectations, but also with darkness. Turning Max into Darth Selendis was the best alternative he could ever achieve in a battle with her and that punk Chloe...

"You ordered my presence, My Master. Why are we here?" Selendis asked her dark master. Although it is not wise to question Emperor's will, Sheev was still calm and excited.

The Darkener continued. "In order to preserve your place in the Dark Side, we must ensure that nothing of your false past will ever haunt you again."

Dark Lady was a little surprised by a cracking answer she got. "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"Observe." This last word cut the conversation and Palpatine pushed his comlink on the throne to contact one of the commanding officers on the Death Star. "Moff Jerjerrod?"

A static voice came from the comlink, young but prideful and egoistic. "Yes, my liege?"

"Commence the firing sequence. I do not want that planet to bother us anymore." These words of Palpatine struck Darth Selendis. After all she went through this week, everything she lived for... will be erased in a one single moment?

"We are in firing range, Your Highness. We may fire when ready." The commanding moff answered to the Emperor.

"Good. Fire at will, commander!" Ordered the Darkener to Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod with a pleasure and victory in his sound.

When the comlink was cut, both the Dark Lady and the Emperor watched Earth from distance through a giant glassed circular window right at Emperor's throne. She could feel the blazing satisfy inside her master, but she felt... diversed. On one hand, she was glad that pathetic planet would be blown up in a second. But on the other one... she still loved Chloe, she knew that. A truth it was her who killed Chloe Price for the very last time, devoured her mind whole.

But the superlaser's green colour filled the throne room and in another second, the Death Star fired its infamous superlaser...

And in a moment, nothing remained from the Planet Earth. It was lowered to an asteroid field, just like Alderaan.

Selendis... Max... does not matter.

Her inner self was gone. A good self.

The destruction of Earth... of Arcadia Bay... of Chloe...

That was too much.

Darkness collided with Light, Max with Selendis, Time against the Force...

It is fucked up. And worse is, Maxine could not rewind back to stop all of this.

What should I do?

This is the chance! Strike him down and fulfill your true destiny!

For you, Chloe...

...

An activation of a lightsaber brought an agonizing pain into Emperor Palpatine's body.

A green light came from the back of a throne and stroke through metal... and Darknener's body, blood and bones.

Darth Selendis took Skywalker's lost weapon and to redempt Chloe's wasted death, she did the only thing she could - backstabbing her master.

Emperor screamed in pain, but not so much. Like he was expecting that.

His dark head only turned to Lady Betrayal, smile on his face and stated shortly before he collapsed on the ground.

"You could not... have done this... better... my child..." And Sheev Palpatine, the master of Darth Selendis and the Emperor of Evil, died painfully. His body then turned into a blue energy of the Force and created a crazy whirlwind around dark Max. Then, without any clear reason, disappeared.

Selendis released a deep breath. Of satisfaction. Relief. Revenge had been done... A dark, robotic voice sounded in Dark Lady's clear head.

Several stormtroopers along with the royal guards rushed into the throne room. According to the guardsmen, they felt a disturbance in the Force. And as they feared, their master was stroke down by his own apprentice. The stormtroopers, accompanied by stressed moff Jerjerrod, aimed immediately their E-11s on Maxine, but they did not open fire. Yet.

If I have to die... Dark Max thought... at least I know Chloe will rest in peace now...

Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod looked on the royal guards of deceased Emperor Palpatine and nodded their heads. There was something amiss - something anti-Imperial - in his head.

What the fuck is going on? Max asked herself. Do they discuss the method how will I die?

"The Emperor is dead." The commanding moff declared with a majestic voice. From a hideous Imperial, patheticly loyal to the Emperor, it was unexpected. Because no one even dared to talk about the Emperor's death, even if it was truth.

Darth Selendis looked surprised. And she really was. She expected a swift death from the blaster fire, but nothing happened for good three minutes.

After the time passed like it was nearly 4 minutes, Moff then kneeled in direction to Max and finished his line: "Long live the Empress Selendis!"

And after this, everyone at the front of Max, kneeled down to her. Troopers, guards, officers... In a one moment...

A traitor, then... the Empress.

Without any delay, Max threw away Palpatine's black robes lying under the throne and sat on it, full of glory and the Dark Side.

It loked fantastic for her. She led the Empire. She practically couped Palpatine, her master.

But what about the others? Admirals, Warlords, Governors...

Would not they rebel against her and create their own Empires?

If they try...

They will learn the price of betrayal...

The future of the Galactic Empire, the Dark Lady Darth Selendis and the whole galaxy is in the stars... It is in Maxine Caulfield's hands. How will she lead the Empire, will determine the fate of the galaxy...

But this is a tale for another time...


	21. Chapter Eighteen: The New Dangers

_**ACT TWO - STAR WARS: MYSTERIES OF THE FORCE**_

Days, weeks, months, years...

Does it even matter?

The wounds can be healed, but the scars remain... no matter how much time will pass...

...

Five years ago, just in a week, Max had saved lives, found love, handled a lightsaber and fought the Sith Lords with their Imperial minions... Yea, this may sound a bit unappropriate, but it is completely true, although Max is the only one that remembers it.

Emperor Palpatine, growing fearful of his own downfall, devised a cunning and evil plan how to turn the crushing defeat over the Forest Moon of Endor into the triumphant victory. He used his knowledge of the Dark Side of the Force and learned about Darth Vishaah, a Sith Lord who nearly destroyed the Old Republic by time travel - everytime the Sith have lost a battle, he rewinded back in time before the battle and undone the mistakes.

But not everyone is without limits or with unlimited power of the Force. Vishaah's life was hanging on a slight rope since he started to rewind time. Everytime he used his power, his life shortened by a year. It was like a disease that was slowly killing him. But the Sith Lord did not care, he was entirely determined to crush the Old Republic, no matter what the cost he will pay in the end.

Pride determines the fall. Darth Vishaah's end came on the battlefield. In the devastating battle for Byss, the Republic Fleet engaged the Sith's war fleet, making the warships busy enough to allow the Jedi Strike Team to infiltrate the Vanquisher, Darth Vishaah's Defiant-Class Star Destroyer, and strike down the Sith Lord. Of course, he tried to rewind back, but he touched his limits, at last - his face started to 'melt', forcing the once powerful warlord to fall down on the ground, weakened. Jedi Quir-lan Dorgis was ready to strike him down, but right when he was about to impale his lightsaber into the dying Sith Lord, a damaged V-Wing Republic fighter rammed into the bridge, killing all the Jedi and the crew of the star destroyer aboard, including the Sith Lord Darth Vishaah. The collapshing battleship slowly fell down and after some time, enduring the fire from the Republic Fleet, rammed into a distant moon, destroying both itself and the moon. The battle ended in supreme Republic victory and the final defeat of the Sith Empire, but what was the cost? The knowledge of the time travel could be studied, understood... but the jeopardy of the Jedi destroyed everything.

Finding out about the risky power to rewind time, which included the shortage of life, Sheev Palpatine learned how to wield this power thanks to Korriban holocrons and found the 'time distortion hole', created by Max Caulfield's time travels and sought his only chance - which proved him very costly.

...

After five years, Max and Chloe lived together in Arcadia Bay, burying the past long behind them. Finding the middle ground between the punk ass and a nerdy geek, the girls found peace and serenity in home of their childhood. Although Max was the only who remembers that crazy week between October 7th and 11th, she had time and will to explain everything to her rebel counterpart. They were happy together and finished studies on Blackwell Academy well... together.

...

The thunder pierced the fresh air and the storm came in. The air became a bit unbreathable, the fog was very thick all around. The rain made the atmosphere depressive and depriving.

A girl in black jacket and knee boots stood up from the wet mud, looking all around where is she. "Where's everybody? Where am I? And where is here?"

Max Caulfield had another nightmare. She had some bad dreams, from time to time, from worries about Chloe and her life. Since the 2013 events, Max was a bit overworried about her bae's life. She carefully picked almost everything to keep her safe, which made Chloe feel a bit uncomfortable, but after the thought she was killed many times by Nathan Prescott or Mark Jefferson, she got used to Max's worries.

The nerd was confused by the set up around her. The rain, the fog, the storm... it was reminiscent of the past, which scared Max a lot. Another tornado, another deaths...

'No fucking way!' Max said to herself, determined not to let the past repeat... even if it ended as an alternate reality.

The only difference was that Max found out, even through the fog, she was not in Arcadia Bay or at the lighthouse, cause the ground she was standing on was not leading upwards into a hill or grass. It was flat.

After Max regained some sense, she started walking through the misty fog, trying to think what is going on. She could not recall she had a similiar nightmare in the past. It was all so weird she could not believe it. No trees, no animals, no nature... only rocks.

Suddenly, some voices sounded in the distance as well around Max, but as much as she looked around her, nobody was there. A mix of scared and dark voices, both neat and violent.

"The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural..." This voice was too creepy and too familiar to Max. She got a bit more scared.

Palpatine.

"To defeat an enemy, you must know them..." This voice was too calm and too reserved to be of an evil person. But something strange, something... elusive was hiding behind the balance and reservance.

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate. Hate... leads to suffering." This voice was full of wisdom and care. Max recognized Master Yoda behind the voice.

Finally, when she came into a bigger gap in the fog, she spotted a tall standing figure few meters off her. The blue hair, leather jacket and torn jeans slowly revealed in the mist as the rain retreated a bit.

"Chloe!" Max shouted out of happiness and fear, sprinting to give the punk a hug. She felt so happy her bae was okay and well, and wanted to prove herself it is true.

Chloe turned on the nerd slowly, smiling on her. She raised her hands in a hug. She looked happy and relieved too...

But as soon as Max got closer to Chloe Price...

Red laser blade pierced Chloe's body with one swift stroke like a knife through butter. The punk cried in agonizing pain. The nerd crumbled inside as her lifeless body fell in the mud. Her life dispersed quickly as the little veins of blood sprinkled off the hole.

Max fell on her knees, in despair and fear. "No... no, this can't be happening!" She felt broken, alone... seeing Chloe dying again... it made her heart crumble and painful...

She looked on the murderer - a shorter figure full in black, torn robes and high boots, dirty from the rain and mud. The black metal mask gave Max some reminescence of the past... but it was not possible, HE was dead.

A group of white armored troopers came behind the dark figure. They looked like Stormtroopers, but with different visors, and more like the future ones... Then, Max remembered seeing one sci-fi film with Chloe back in 2015...

"You!" The masked man turned his head quickly towards Max Caulfield, stepping to her, full of hatred with his lightsaber in his hand. He looked obviously tampered by something.

Max tried to step back, but she stepped over a hidden rock under mud and slided into the ground, trying to back off the man who killed Chloe as much as she could. But mud made her slow. Hella slow.

Now I wish I never tampered with time... Max said to herself. She was so scared shitless she was not willing to live without Chloe. So, she stood up and gathered all her courage. She was ready to take the hit.

"I'll show you the dark side!" The masked man said as he was really close to Max and raised his lightsaber towards her. As Max looked into his eyes behind a mask, she saw the eyes of a man. A boy, full of anger and hate. If there is anything humane in him, that mask covers it perfectly.

The Sith swung with his weapon quickly, jumped in the air and struck young Max hard. All she could see was the red light in her eyes, she felt pain in her stomach right afterwards as everything went black...

Then, she woke up in a bed, scared and sweated. But nothing was clear...


	22. Chapter Nineteen: The Revelation

What just went through Max's head was confusing as all hell to her. A lot of questions were blazing in her brain, frying it inside.

Is Chloe alright or dead? What it meant? And whatthehell who that guy was? Does it mean I am going totally crazy? Well... maybe.

Max slowly believed she is driving insane more and more. After focused on keeping Chloe safe and alive, she thought her girlfriend was planning to send her into an asylum. It was over her head so much... sometimes Max just wanted to lay down and sleep eternally.

But not now. All that mattered to Max was Chloe. All the time, in any reality or day, she wanted her to be happy, safe, well... all the positive things, just not dead.

The girl looked all around the room. Something fell a lot amiss to her. She could not recognize it. Max got a thought if she is not in the Dark Room again, but she threw that thought off when remembering she was lying on a bed.

But all... was white. Looking futuristic and clean. Too much clean both for Max and Chloe's apartment as well for the hospital. Metal-looking floor was so furbished the girl saw her own reflection in it. The walls and ceiling looked so fresh it was calming to soul.

And the wide window on her right... it showed the entire galaxy of stars, planets...

Max did not have illusions or visions of grandeur. She realized what happened... she's in it. Again. But this time, in a larger, galactic scale.

Why... why it must have happened to me? Is it a punishment for all time I have rewound? Why? I thought it is over! Max kept these words repeating in her head for a while before she saw a hooded figure standing at the window.

"I sense your confusion." The figure's voice released to young Max. The girl was first confused, and scared. If that hooded man was a Sith...

But weirdly, Max did not sense anything malevolent from the visitor. Or any sign of the Dark Side inside. All she 'felt' was balance, light... yet remorse. Like he kept something hidden in him and wanted it to keep it secret. She was unsure what to believe, the situation was crazy enough.

The person continued to talk after a short while of silence. "You did not want to return, yet you had to... the call of the Force."

Max now looked into her sheets, trying to cover. But she felt sharp pain in her chest when she tried to raise her hands.

She then realized it... the nightmare, the hospital bed, the pain... now that nightmare did not look like fictional at all. Max, scared of the situation, raised her shirt and dared to look on her bare chest...

A terrified breath came from Max. A scary scar all over her body, from belly coming under her left half of the chest proved her fears...

Max, do not try to freak out... it is real... again...

"You were in really bad shape when we found you." The person talked again, slowly turning to Max. He sounded like he blamed himself for something... for letting Max to be hurt?

"I am sorry it happened... I sought to protect you from them, but I failed..." The person stepped closer to the confused girl, holding his leather belt tightly, with a lightsaber on its left side.

"The Force is strong in my family... I have it... my father has it... my sister has it..."

The Jedi put his cape down, revealing an old man with a full beard and hair colored in lighter grey, dark green eyes and both kind, but sad look. From the freckles, eyes and very old scars, Max immediately recognized the man talking to her, making her smile a bit, even if it was unappropriate. "You have that power too." The Jedi said to her.

"M..Master Skywalker?" The girl nearly fainted, looking on Luke. "I mean, sorry.. I sound like a fangirl."

Skywalker gave Max a patient smile, sitting next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, young one. You got nothing to be afraid of here. You are safe, so is your friend..."

"Chloe.." Max gasped. She nearly forgot on her partner in time and crime. Seeing her impaled on a lightsaber gave her the terrifying feels and so much inner pain she did not want to go on in life without Chloe... Now that she knows her own heart would do and sacrifice anything just to keep Chloe alive.

"How.. Where..." She tried to ask about Chloe's condition and where is she right now, but Luke's neat pat on her shoulder made her quiet.

"Max... I fear..." Luke tried to answer as politely as he could, but a loud argue coming from the corridor interrupted him.

The source of the argue came inside, revealing that an old man in a leather jacket, dark brown work trousers and knee boots was arguing with a golden robot, followed by a brown, tall and hairy humanoid close behind them. Max was really holding her not to scream like a fan girl.

"I do not care about your calculations, Threepio! I just want to know when I will be able to take off-" The aging smuggler looked on the girl in hospital bed, failing to stop a smile shaping on his face. Max had it completely the same.

"Han?" The girl asked with a quiet voice, trying not to sound childlish. But it was the scoundrel who broke it.

"And who did you expect? Boba Fett?" Han tried to joke. Besides Chewie's little wookie laugh, nobody actually smiled or gave an attention towards the joke.

Luke wanted to say something, but C-3PO interrupted his own master, in most disturbing way. "I am sorry, master Solo, but you do know miss Caulfield right here just woke up and lived a really terrible experience with your own son? Did you know that?"

Chewbacca roared sharply, pulling the rude robot to him and shutting his mouth up, so nothing but his mumbling is heard. Han and Luke released a relieved sigh, looking on Max.

The girl was becoming more and more confused. Since the trouble with Vader, Palpatine and all of the Empire five years back, this looked like a really deep nightmare to her. But, considering she could feel the old Jedi's touch and the bed she was laying on very clearly, her thought of being all of this just a nightmare slowly passed away.

"What... what happened, exactly?" Max asked, having tense in her voice as the throat started to pain her slowly. She wanted to ask how's Chloe, but at first, the nerd wanted answers.

Han Solo, his facial expressions saying he knows it better than Luke, sat next to her bed and started. A young man with black skin and short hair entered the medical bay as the explanation started. The visitor stood quiet.

"Max, it happened all so quickly and unexpected... But it all started in your hometown..."


	23. Chapter Twenty: The Storm

"They came so quickly we did not have time to react." - Han Solo

The Earth, mainly Arcadia Bay, was under the New Republic's secret protection. The Ninth Fleet, under the leadership of venerable Mon Calamari admiral Raddus - who was presumed dead after the battle for Scarif - and aided by captain Kyle Katarn, Han Solo and Jedi Knight Jaden Korr, had a simple task - to ensure Max Caulfield, the Emperor's Hand - is sound and safe, as well her friends in the town.

However, no peace goes on forever.

"After one really calm shift, we wanted to leave for the main torso of the Fleet near the Moon, when three Star Destroyers came out of space, firing on us as soon as they spotted us." Han explained.

Two Imperial Star Destroyers - Chimaera and Gorgon - and one Ravager-Class Star Destroyer (First Order's new generation of warships) 'Vengeance' had orders to land on Earth, and by a really strange coincidence, occupy Arcadia Bay and find 'The Hand.'

The torso of the fleet was orbiting the Moon when the Star Destroyers opened fire. As one of the officers on Raddus' capital ships described it, the mix of blue, red and bright green lasers were so strong and enlightening they nearly made all the crew blind. The hell fires the lasers created on the starboard deck were burning the people alive. In a matter of seconds, the burning skeletons and skulls were filling the decks of the 'Star of Mon Cal' - admiral Raddus' new Capital ship, Defender-class Star Destroyer. After setting the whole half of the cruiser on fire, the Imperial battleships engaged the fleet in point-blank range, deploying massive numbers of starfighters and bombers. They were unleashed upon the defenceless Republic fleet.

As soon as the Star of Mon Cal was disabled, the Imperials sent a group of six Lambda-class Transport shuttles on the planet. The transports were protected by a squadron of new TIE Defenders and TIE Interceptors, shooting down any Republic fighter trying to stop them. Also, the large group of TIE Fighters engaged our fleet, overwhelming us by their numbers. They were like damn Felucian mosquitos - stinging and not stopping, hard to kill. Only our skill and superior maneuvering saved us from total destruction.

Max stood quiet through the whole explanation. She had a lot of questions, to be honest, but her mind was focused on what happened, so everything she did was focusing on Han Solo's explanation.

Han took a slight breath before going on. "One of the surviving pilots reported... the Imperials were so fast and dreaded they shot down the X-Wings quicker than the pilots could even lock on them. And... they even had shields. The Imperial fighters... something we did not anticipate."

Without any X-Wing, A-Wing or the new E-Wing to stop them, the transports headed towards Arcadia Bay... They knew exactly where to fly...

...

"While Kyle and Jaden were dealing with the fighters attacking the fleet and the incoming Star Destroyers, me and Chewie took the Falcon and followed the transports. The sun was already out, showing the whole town was covered in night.

We took a higher speed, because the convoy had to maintain low speed to let the fighters escort them, giving us an advantage to warn your friends. I had a stomach in neck, almostly. Somehow, a distant memory awakened in my head, reminding me how you... saved your friends.

After we entered the atmosphere and flew over your hometown, I saw all the people at your school... Blackhell, or something like that... looking on the lights, blinks and shining at the moon... they did not know anything. Anyone of them.

Chewie's roar and pointing his right hand on the sky warned me - the Imperials were closing in, much sooner than I expected. I just got sweat all over my forehead. As much as I wanted to save every single one of your friends, I had realized it is impossible when facing the Empire...

I landed behind the academy, carefully and ensuring those Imperial bucketheads won't see the Falcon from upside. Chewie handed me my blaster while he had his Wookie crossbow already armed. We left the ship as we saw the Imperials slowly approaching. We hid in a bush close to your 'campus' or how you Terrans call it.

The red-blue lights were shining through the compound, giving me a slight headache. The black-white cars and a blue truck were stopping by the sports field, fortifying at the campus with obsolete pistols and shotguns...

Han could not hold a simple giggle coming out of his mouth. "Sorry, Max... but as the serious the situation was, I could only laugh over their arms.. The Imperials would have laughed too.

The tall man, short haircut and a moustache in a khaki shirt, was giving orders to men in blue uniforms. They used their 'cars' as barricade, the truck accompanying them as a replenish station. They were ready for the fight. The black-skinned man in a grey suit with a red shirt was commandeering the others to hide in other buildings. Some did not.

A guy and a girl went in our direction. A guy had a messy hair, signs of a blackeye over his left one and a strange shirt with a cat. Blue color. The girl had hair with ponytails and some hair coloured in dark red and yellow jumper with dots. She fell over the tree root, he helped her. As they ran around us, Chewie stood up of the bush and stopping both of them. The boy's heart nearly jumped out of his body and the girl fainted out.

Then, I stood up and without any word, I lifted the girl and after the boy looked on me, he asked what's going on. A simple word from me made him follow me to the Falcon - hell.

As we got into the Falcon, I put the girl on a medical bed and left the boy, who introduced himself as Warren and said the girl is Brooke, I just nodded his head and gave him orders to say in the ship. I will be back shortly, I said...

But I did not expect the look I was on to see in next few minutes, pinned me to ground in a bush for long... Chewie described me the battle when we were away..

The Imperials landed when I was in the Falcon with Warren and Brooke. As soon as their shuttles landed on a highway, the Stormtroopers left them and opened fire from their blaster rifles. The men defending your home were shot in a matter of one minute. Blast after blast, one by one, the blueshirts were falling. Their bullets killed only a few of Stormtroopers. It was a blitz. None who shot was alive in a next while.

The man who led them - the army-looking one - punched one of the bucketheads and took his blaster rifle and started returning fire. He took out a few of troopers before getting hit in his upper leg, it disabled him and the Stormtroopers just finished him by firing into the chest, letting him to die there.

Then, when there was nobody to resist, the Stormtroopers stormed the main building. Blaster shots and grenade sounds blink in white and after few moment later, the Imperials were takin everyone out from every building. Student, teacher, adult or youngling... they did not take care on it, as they brutally massed them at the campus, around the fountain with gold figure on the top.

Suddenly, blue light illuminated the area. It almost made us blind. It shined on the captives, slowly fading out.

I recognized the source - the command shuttle!

These types of shuttles were used by the First Order - a faction based on the Empire, but claiming they grew up - hogwash.

As soon as the seventh shuttle landed, it's exit platform lowered. The smoke coming out of the burning, exploded cars made it's arrival scarier. The group of stormtroopers formed two lines at the platform, making an official welcome to their superior. One officer in black uniform, probably a colonel, stood right at front of it.

The person who came out... gave us the worst conclusions...

My son, Ben.. now only known as Kylo Ren.

It completely surprised me. I knew the First Order dabbled with the Empire after we blew up the Starkiller, but this...

"To be honest, that's why we are not on any planet right now, young Caulfield..." Luke entered the explanation. His face was full of concern and guilt. That he let Ben.. Kylo, fall to the dark side.

The old jedi continued, holding his hands. "The Empire and First Order started to work together after we destroyed Death Star III... as I call it. At first the command expected their cooperation would falter really quickly, but after they blasted out our fleet over Kuat without mercy, the Republic panicked. No plan to react, no leader at all... everyone just wanted to survive. That's why the Empire got Coruscant for free... nobody was bolstered enough to protect it. The Republic crumbled with the first destroyed battlecrusier."

Han nodded on Luke as he left the room slowly, leaving Han, Max, Chewie and Threepieo alone.

"Kylo Ren stepped out of his shuttle, determined to find someone." The smuggler continued his story. Pinballs of sweat came out on his forehead. What he saw on Earth, will be burned in his memories forever.

"Two troopers brought the black skinned suitman in front of Kylo. The man tried to maintain his posture, but he looked a bit dizzy, drunk. They argued about someone. I heard my son saying 'The Hand is here, I know it. And now you will hand her over to the Empire.'

It was clear he was talking about you, Max. Palpatine called you 'The Hand', right?

Max thought about it. As she recalls, it were two people calling her like that... but they're both dead.

As the smuggler continued, a Wookie sat next to her bed, patting her head neatly to calm her down. Chewie frowned a bit.

"The suited man tried to resist that he knows nothing.. but Kylo Ren was not satisfied."

As soon as the resist landed, Kylo activated his lightsaber and struck it into the official. Sprinkles of blood splattered on the pavement below him as the laser pierced his belly. The black man fell on the ground, slowly dying. My son looked on him for a while, watching him as he faints out, with blood pouring from him.

A loud shout pierced the air. A blonde boy, with a gun in his hand, rushed towards Kylo Ren, his eyes full of rage and determination. He pulled the trigger on his handgun three times and hit two Stormtroopers with black plated shoulderguards, standing next to my son and scratching his shoulder.

As the fire continued, Kylo looked furious over the boy killing his bodyguards. He whirlled with his weapon, blocking every bullet. Then, he reached out his hand, widen out, to him...

And the boy froze. He could not move. Like he was 'paralyzed'. As he looked surprised and angry, two other troopers ran to him. One hit the boy's stomach with his rifle's gun-stock, the other grabbed him and pushed him on his knees - right in front of Kylo.

My son lowered to him, swapping his hair away from his forehead.

"You know where they are." Kylo Ren said to the boy, standing up. The boy answered something like 'Go fuck yourself, bucko.', but he earned only a punch from a Stormtrooper. Ren ordered his soldiers to search him. One of them... took out a flat item out of his jacket, handing it over to Kylo. He activated it by pushing a button on the side, swiping the display until he lifted his head. Somehow, he got the password out of the boy... some Force Mind Trick or any of that Jedi gibberish.

"Take him in the shuttle." Ren ordered his lackeys and pointed on his shuttle. Suddenly, a girl's screech forced Kylo to turn, seeing a tall blonde woman standing, running towards him. As he points with his finger on her, two Stormtroopers grab her. One holds her while the other one takes out a baton and strikes it's point in her neck. No blood or penetration. A series of lightning came from the baton, stunning the captured woman. When Ren pointed on his shuttle, the Stormtroopers followed the ones taking the blonde boy in.

"Sir? What about the others?" The officer asked Kylo, feeling a bit stressed. I recognized he was afraid of death by his hand. One wrong step and... bang! Face burned by the lightsaber.

Ren looked over the afraid, worried, terrified faces of the captives. He looked on his stormtroopers standing by the shuttle and after a while, he gave out the orders: "Kill them all."

As the officer nodded, Kylo left for his landed shuttle, looking on the scene.

"Troopers, arm! Aim! ..." The stormtroopers encircled the students and teachers, arming their weapons and aiming towards them. The fear showered the prisoners with unstoppable flow, making them cover. I could feel bad for them, but when I wanted to fire on the Imperials, Chewie held my hand...

As the blaster bolts pierced, hit and muted the young and old, their agonizing yelling and shouts made me feel miserable I did not save them. As they were falling on the ground, some of them fell on the fountain, defiling the water with their pouring blood. It was... horrible. Execution. I could see the boy and girl taken in Kylo Ren's shuttle trying to get out of Stormtrooper's holds and help the others.. futile.

And when the Imperials left, Warren rushed in... As he saw his teachers, his student colleagues... dead, he fell in the grass, crying and shouting. He was full of rage, we could see it, me and Chewie. He tried to grab the rock and throw them after the leaving shuttles. I stepped to him and, in a gesture of sorry, I grabbed his shoulder and rubbed it slowly.. I knew how he felt...

...

We left too after a while, but... seeing Kylo's shuttle going in other direction than the rest, I decided to follow him... and, that is why you are here..

Max held her scarred stomach. So it was true? ... Chloe dead, Imperials, her nightmare being a reality... If she had a bucket and stomach intact, she would vomit right now. Instead, she accepted Chewie's hug. Her tears were soaked in a Wookie's fur.

Then, a Rebel officer, beige suit, knee boots and a shiny, white helmet, entered the room and stood to Han. "Sorry, General Solo, but the girl officer Finn asked for.. "

Chloe.. Max quickly reacted, looking on the officer.

"It was frustrating and hard for our medical droid team, but... she's ok, for now." The officer replied.


	24. Chapter Twenty-One: The Scheme

Max would cry her eyes out at the moment. After all the horrible scenes Han and Luke described to her, all the blood, pain and fear.. she could not believe Chloe was alive. Or, at least in stable condition.

She slowly got off her bed, with Chewie's fluffy paw still on her shoulder. Han stopped her from standing up.

"Ho ho, wait there, kid. You do not want to venture through the ship with just this shirt on, do you?" The smuggler asked with a kind, a bit of suggestive voice, pointing on Max's plain white medical top. Luke was on the leave in the door with the officer while Max's cheeks turned bright red.

"Oh.." She said quietly. She was not aware only clothes she had on were the top and the panties. Max felt terribly stupid.

Chewie roared, pointing on the cabinet on the other side of the medical room. Han looked in the direction, smiling. "There are some spare clothes in that wardrobe. We will wait outside. Chewie.." As the venerable smuggler nodded his head in direction to the door, the Wookie stood up and left with Han in the close follow, leaving Max alone and giving her privacy to suit up. After all, she was an adult woman.

Putting on the sandals left below the bed, Max slowly stepped up to the metal wardrobe, same color tone as the whole room and opened it. Her look brightened up as she saw the hanged clothes - yellow jacket, black leather pants with boots and white shirt under the jacket. Max felt like in a movie... wait, she actually was.

"Time for some cosplay, Max..." Max said to herself with a calm tone as she took out the suit and started to put it on herself..

...

MEANWHILE,

IN THE ANOAT SYSTEM.

FSD Agonizer was flying over the desert planet of Pantooine for some time. The flagship of General Hux, the commander of First Order armed forces, was not in the Anoat System for no reason - one of the main Imperial commanders requested the General to meet up with him somewhere safe. Somewhere, where no spy can reach, no unwanted ear can eavesdrop.

Hux's shuttle left the Agonizer's hangar while guarded with two First Order TIE Fighters on his course to the obsolete, but still very dangerous Imperial Star Destroyer, called 'Chimaera'.

The space looked calm and peaceful, yet in many distant systems, many far stars, new Imperial Civil War raged all across the galaxy. The New Republic, bolstered by the destruction of Starkiller, was backstabbed by the strike from the dark - out from nowhere, the massive Imperial Fleet emerged, conquering Core Worlds and Deep Core without any opponent to stand against them. The Empire was on the rise again and with the First Order operating in the Outer Rim, it would be only a matter of time the Rebel Alliance, the Republic Remnant, will be crushed by the Empire's iron foot.

With General Hux's transport shuttle slowly approaching the Chimaera's hangar, the guard was relieved to a pair of TIE Interceptors. These fighter crafts were obsolete in comparision with First Order fighters, but they were rearmed with stronger lasers and deflector shields, so they can compete with Rebel spacecrafts.

As the shuttle landed in the hangar, two lines of Imperial officers in olive, teal and green uniforms and Stormtroopers were formed in front of it to greet the General. The technicians and pilots in their black suits focused on the fighters and machinery. The commanding officer of the hangar was standing in front of the shuttle, waiting for Hux to come out. The sweat started to pour from his venerable forehead, he was stressed from meeting with the General. His ruthlessness towards the stupid and incapable officers was well known, one captain got shot because of his eye problems.

The venerable officer brushed his moustache in the last second, expecting complications. To his personal opinion, younger officers, especially generals like Hux, had more of arrogance than self-preservance, resulting in many needless deaths, like battle for Endor.

At last, the platform slided down from the shuttle and opened up, allowing two First Order Stormtroopers to come out to stand guard at the sides of the platform. By their crimson star crests on their shiny breastplates, they were the part of Hux's Special Forces Division, the deadliest troopers of the First Order.

The general delayed himself inside. Before they even left the Agonized, Hux accepted a decrypted transmission from one of his agents. It was a long report about the millitary records of the key Republic officers and now, the First Order had targets for their assassins. The sender was not recognizable, but all that could be heard by pilots and guarding Stormtroopers was his codename.

"Good work, B3F12. Return to your duties." General cut the transmission, took his long officer coat and stepped down on the Star Destroyer, with hands firmly behind his back and very asserted walk.

Just like Tarkin, thought the old officer for himself. He once remembered on an only Imperial that walked the same. Grand Moff Tarkin. But General Hux wasn't his son or any relative to the deceased governor and the director of the Death Star project, just the Tarkin of the First Order.

The young commander stepped up to the venerable man, saluting him with a slight smile. As much as Hux despised mainstream Imperial officers, he had some respect for this one.

"Admiral Pellaeon." Hux said with a respectful tone to his Imperial counterpart. Although he was an old officer and he was close to pension, he still served with honor and determination. Pellaeon returned the salute, smiling under his grey, hairy moustache.

Admiral Gilad Pellaeon was possibly the longest serving officer in the whole galaxy. From the Clone Wars to the First Order Incursion, Pellaeon served his superiors, either the Old Republic or the Galactic Empire, with undying loyalty. A trait many officers of the Imperial Fleet lacked after the defeat over Endor.

With his rich and colorful experience within the Fleet Command, everyone expected Pellaeon to be the Grand Admiral by now. Sadly, his superiors, mainly maniacal and selfish Warlords, were taking his deeds as their own, and so Pellaeon stood by whole time the Empire existed, just a mere captain of a lone Star Destroyer Chimaera. The only flaw of this was the Chimaera was possibly the best armed vessel in the Imperial Fleet, except the Super Star Destroyers.

Until now.

"General Hux. I am honored to greet you on ISD Chimaera." Admiral Pellaeon saluted back with his hand, standing in attention. Despite so many years dividing them, Hux deserved some respect.

The young officer nodded his head, giving the aging commander a firm look. "So am I to meet with the longest serving man in the Fleet." Hux released a cynical smile. Right now, he had no cards to smash Pellaeon by his foot, but the time will come. Eventually.

The captain only coughed a bit. As much as the old man wanted to punch the General down, he had his limits.

"The turbolift will take you directly to the briefing room. The Admiral awaits you there." Pellaeon said with a reserved tone to his younger First Order counterpart, pointing on a side metal door, guarded by four Stormtroopers.

"Dismissed." Hux huffed slightly, waving his hand on admiral Pellaeon to fend him off a polite way. He was a general, after all. Little he knew that the Imperial Admiral was a higher rank than the First Order General in the new Imperial Navy, no matter what competences the General had.

Pellaeon's moustache lightly lifted up as the old officer frowned and saluted, going to the other door to reach the bridge.

General Hux's inner hatred towards the mainstream Imperial forces flew to new heights. Not only that the venerable officers were 'friendly' towards him, also the lacking honoring from the Stormtroopers - the saluting - was somehow forgotten. The Imperial ones just clapped with their boots and stood in attention, holding their E-11 blaster rifles.

The First Order officer just scoofed over this, entering the turbolift and pushed the green 'UP' button, releasing a deep despitful breath as the blast door closed.

During the relatively short trip, Hux had a lot of thoughts to think about. Who called him? Why to such a distant galaxy part? And mainly, without reporting to either Snoke or Ren? Or... him?

As the turbolift stopped and the door opened, General's mind immediately focused on what he saw. The briefing room right at the turbolift entrance.

"What.. the heck?" Hux whispered, hoping the standing figure did not hear him. If this was not some sick kind of a joke, this, what he saw right now, served as a quick method of command. Unlike anyone of the Empire Hux knew. Only one had it so close to the hangar, and even that person was just a rumor, an Imperial legend... An alien in the strict Imperial leadership...

"You are late, General." The figure spoke. The balance of his voice, how much calm and yet upper-classed above Hux gave chills to him. How he spoke, how he did not move a single muscle - even that the person stood backwards to Hux - proved the First Order official it is him.

The myth between the legends. The living nightmare. The 'Alien'.

Hux's panicked inside his mind, despite trying to maintain his posture of a strong officer and tried not to give it away. He also thought of slowly to leave the room, but the sounds of arming blasters coming from the corners make him stand still.

The person slowly turned on the General, revealing his navy blue skin with dark red eyes, piercing through Hux like he was made of butter. Then, he spoke again. "I expected the First Order to be precise."

As the man was slowly uncovering from the shadows by the walk towards General Hux, his whole appearance was fading in as the shadow fell back. The shiny white uniform with golden shoulderpads and dark, black knee boots left a mark on General's sight. He never met such a highly distinguished Imperial officer in person, but the rumors of the Grand Admirals were terrifiying even at the start itself. Combination of the white uniform, red eyes and blue skin brought only one name to General's confused mind.

Grand Admiral Thrawn. The name that brought fear into even the most couragerous people. An alien who became the Emperor's top strategist and tactician brought many bitter defeats to the Rebellion. It was rumored Thrawn was killed in a skirmish for Kuat Shipyards, with his personal Star Destroyed blown up when crashing the Kuat Drive Yards space station. Now Hux saw, on his own eyes, that rumors are just a bunch of lies, spread to strike fear into hearts of the targeted.

Hux was so stammered by looking on the Chiss standing few meters at front of him he forgot to answer. So he tried to come up with a quick excuse, not wanting to see Thrawn's legendary eye piercing on his own.

"I... was slowed down by the lingering Rebels around Atzzerri. You know that space is crawling with pirates and similiar scum." General came up with the most common excuse - stopped by the Rebels.

Of course Thrawn did not buy it, most of the Imperials ended up in frontlines because of lying. The Grand Admiral slightly shook his head, accompanied by a quiet tscheeing coming from his mouth.

"General, general.. lying and holdups are no longer tolerated." Thrawn commended Hux's foolish try of a excuse, standing firm to him with hands behind his back. "That would have worked with Ren or Snoke, but here, you are not with the First Order. Here, the Imperial rules apply. Take that as the last warning."

As the Chiss ended his sentence and turned back, sliding with his fingers through the touchpad on the briefing table, revealing a hologram of a photo of two girls in an intimate moment.

"Eugh, disgusting." Hux commented, covering his mouth like he was ready to projectile vomit.

Thrawn rised an eyebrow, looking on the First Order general from the side with a stone-face expression. "What? Homosexuality is quite expanded through out the galaxy, even from the home planet of one of them. You know, Hux, that this fashion was favored in many famous millitary forces, like the Black Sun or even... the Republic itself?"

General Hux's stomach was in full revolt. General could not easily accept this, monstrosity, as he described it for himself, was in somebody's favour. It was not surprising for him the Imperial Army, so the First Order, strictly controlled it, not letting any homosexual officers in it's ranks. But, as usual, there are powerful and wealthy peole who are willing to let them pass... for a huge credit injection.

"Still, disgusting." Hux just replied back, trying not to throw his own stomach out of his mouth.

Thrawn did not get amazed from the First Order officer's need to throw up and continued, looking on the hologram without a faze. "You should be well informed. The brown haired one is Maxine Caufield, or.. how the Emperor calls her, 'The Hand' or 'His Child'. Five years ago, she brought the Emperor's master plan to defeat the Rebellion to ruin.. by one little detail that slipped away from our sight."

As the Grand Admiral was explaining, Hux regained control over his belly, pushing away any try of the stomach to vomit. The look on the black, shiny troopers guarding the room helped him regain control.

"Her power, connection to the Force." Thrawn said with a raised voice, with a notice of highlight. "The power to reverse time, the skill that only few had mastered... And she turned it against her own creator.. how artistically done." Thrawn's slight smile over that detail made Hux, walking next to the Grand Admiral, wonder.

General took a small breath before talking, fixing his blonde hair with his right hand. "Are you really sure it is her? As far as I read the reports, the Emperor gave little concern about her during the War."

"You really do not know how the Force works, do you? Your hound should know it the best." Thrawn's clear pointing on Kylo Ren scared Hux. "Next time you send him to take her down, make sure there are no Rebels to save her."

"P-pardon me, sir?" The general quietly whispered towards the Grand Admiral, holding his breath. Darth Vader would have choked out the responsible ones, in his anger.

Thrawn looked directly into Hux's eyes, piercing them with deadly precision.

"Allow me to explain. Your out-of-sense attack on Earth brought nothing to aid us. You killed innocents, no valuable information and thanks to your hound's foolishness and your blindness, the Hand is right now with the Rebels, so does her rebel friend. You let our only chance of swift victory slip through your clumsy hands, General."

If Hux was calm few minutes ago, now he had to focus all of his willpower to not strike Thrawn into his face. Calling him a stupid, that was Hux's most hated insult. Only Grand Admiral's sence for politeness and calm made the General hold himself.

"Can you say anything to your defence, General?" Upon these words, Hux could feel a bitter saliva sliding down through his throat. If that was that I think the Grand Admiral meant, General thought for himself...

The sound of blaster aiming and swift moves proved him his theory. It was a planned execution.

The General sweated a lot and felt a lot of pressure on his weak parts. Like it was near to break out. He did not expect such a harsh ending to the meeting, just for a mistake that Ren caused, not him. As Thrawn continued in piercing him with his sharp look, the Stormtroopers aiming on him made him feel the possible blaster shots coming through his body.

"G-Grand admiral, it was not my mistake! Ren executed, led and planned the attack, I was just ensuring the blockade of the planet!" Hux spitted out on the Chiss, looking absolutely desperate. He gestured, yelled, sweated..

Thrawn waved his hand on the troopers in the shadow, making them lower their blasters. He then focused on the frightened Hux again.

"Do you know the difference between an error and a mistake, General Hux? Anyone can make an error, General. But that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."

General released a sigh of relief, rubbing his neck as a sigh he was really relieved he will not be shot. Not this time. "I see your point, Grand Admiral."

"Good we found a common soil, General." Thrawn nodded his head, staying completely unfazed. "Do not ever try again to do something like this. Or... you will not see it at all."

Hux, afraid of saying anything that could change Chiss' mind and order to fire, just nodded back, slightly bowing.

"The enemy you seek was spotted in the Abregado system, near the Geonosis quadrant. Gather your fleet and capture all the Rebels you find. For interrogation." Thrawn gave orders to confused, yet afraid Hux. The young man first thought he was in charge. This layout of cards, however, proved him otherwise.

"Yes, sir." He just replied, saluting with clapping his boots and left for the turbolift.

As he called back the lift with the button, Hux took the last look on Thrawn's troops before it arrived. The shiny black armor, the Mandalorian-like visors, heavy blasters and plated armor answered another of Hux's many questions. He slowly turned back to the Chiss, having a slight smile on his face.

"Seems not only your legend survived the Civil War." He stated, slowly stepping into the lift.

"Yes. Not only this one." Thrawn stated, standing backwards to Hux as he left. The Grand Admiral had other things to do... to finish his masterplan to crush the Rebellion once and for all. And bring the total victory to the Emperor.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Two: Across The Stars

While the malevolent Imperial and First Order forces were routing out the Rebels of their secret bases and planned their final defeat, on the edge itself of the Outer Rim...

...

Max felt weird. Not that she was wearing right now, nor the circumstances that brought her inside the galaxy far, far away.

No. There was something else.

Looking from the window of the Rebel cruiser into the deep space with worm holes, countless stars and planets with lifeforms... Max, the girl who defeated the Emperor himself, thought on only one thing...

Chloe.

Thinking that she might live, yet also die... that was cruel for Max's mind. The girl itself felt good, but yet sad at the same time. The pictures of her moments with Chloe, either five years back or the present one blinked before her eyes..

"Why? Why did it return..." ... "Is it punishment for dabbing with time... for saving my love... my friends?..." ... "... am I... cursed..."

These thoughts haunted lonely-feeling Max like phantasms. Not really, but her head felt heavy... and pressing... like in those times before...

She thought it was from all that walking through the cruiser. It felt for her like she walked through the whole way from Arcadia Bay to Portland. She hadn't ever done it, but it felt like that. Her feet hurt, so she stopped at the window. To get a rest. But those thoughts filled her mind so quickly she forgot on the pain. There was something else...

Suddenly, a voice stepped inside Max's thoughts. Quiet, not loud. But it's tone was horrifying enough... and too familiar...

"I have told you... It is just the beginning.." The cackling voice, filled with arrogance and poison, made Max realize it...

"No... I am not you." She whispered. "I am not your pet, Palpatine... I'll never submit to your games." She was speaking in her mind, and whispering it through her lips at the same time. If the Emperor is connected somehow to her, at least she wanted to give him a clear answer.

"Fuck you."

A simple, evil laugh sounded like an echo, across the stars...

"We shall see., my child. We shall see.."

And when Palpatine's evil voice passed out into the galaxy, a familiar hand, old one, pulled Max's shoulder neatly. Waking the girl out of her 'transe'.

...

"Hey, Max?" A voice, and a neat pull of Han woke up the girl, standing at the window with a view of thousand stars. If he was worried, he was just good in hiding it.

The napping-looking girl looked on the old smuggler with a smirk, looking into his eyes. She looked scared, yet safe. For now.

"Han... You would not believe me.." Max whispered, while trying to forget on Palpatine, Empire... Everyone who ever had hurt her seriously. Not Victoria, Nathan or David...

The old man looked on the stressed out girl, chuckling. "Girl, I have seen a lot of things I hadn't believed they were possible... Sith, Jedi... Nobody can surprise me, or anything." Han placed his firm hand on Max's shoulder and rubbed it for a bit, looking into the stars. "Forget on it if it was bad. It isn't important.."

Max nodded. What if it was just a dream, or, more likely... a nightmare or a bad thought? You can be never sure when it comes from your head. She felt exactly the same... unsure. But she threw the recent experience away and looked on the smuggler.

"You're right. I need to think on present, not on what if's or possibilities."

Max smiled more, feeling the warmth coming out of Han's hand and looked behind the man, seeing Chewbacca talking to the tall officer, looking like a human wolverine. He looked familiar, yet... fresh. Beige officer suit with a brown leather pauldron on the right side, brown pants and knee boots, having a can-looking weapon on his utility belt's right side... and a lightsaber on the left.

The old bagger Han laughed, patting Max's head and turned to the wookie and the sturdy-looking officer, interested in how a officer got a lightsaber, a weapon of the Jedi...

"Hey, Max, come here." Han called Max with a known 'come here' gesture and stepped a bit back, putting the girl right before the officer. "Max, this is Kyle Katarn. A jedi knight and one who saved you and your friend on your home planet from the clutches of the Empire."

The named one giggled a bit, slightly pushing Han into a shoulder. "I wouldn't call it a rescue, but rather a race to death."

Max looked on Kyle and could not stop her mouth to whistle from amaze. "Wow.. I suggest thanks should follow, master Katarn.." She looked on the metal floor, right on the tips of her knee boots and blushed. It was the first time to see such a handsome man.. even though the love for Chloe did not die out.

The officer just smiled, looking on the girl and touched his belt. "At first, just call me Kyle. I hate titles, like 'Master', 'Commander' or 'Chief'. I prefer calling me by my real name, not just some dirty title or something." Kyle then smiled like a jester on Han, standing next to him face-to-face.

"Still against the authorities, Kyle?" The smuggler asked. It was known in the Rebel millitary that Kyle hates titles. He preferred the friendship over the authority.

The officer-Jedi chuckled and released a slight breath, putting his arms into a cross on his chest. "You know me well, Solo."

"Hey, you called me Solo?" Han asked the Jedi with a teasing grin.

Kyle's eyesight clashed with the sight of the old man's eyes, but the tension was broken by their smiling grins. Chewbacca's happy, quiet roar made young Max to laugh.

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" The Jedi answered Solo's 'title' question and looked on the old man, smiling with a tease.

Han growled silently. Out of fun. "Still the same Jedi I know." He smiled as Chewbacca stepped to Max. The wookie gave her an obsolete blaster, known as E-11, or 'Imperial blaster.'

While Kyle, with a side-smile, pushed a few buttons at the panel next to him, Max observed the blaster in wookie's hands. She never held a gun... well, except when Frank was close to hurt Chloe.. but since then, never.

"I... can't take it, Chewie... I am a pacifist." The girl said quietly and pushed the blaster away gently with her right hand. Wookie released a worried sound, what pulled Han's attention to Max.

"You need it if you wanna survive in this galaxy, kid." The smuggler took the blaster out of Chewbacca's paws and handed it to Max. She gently refused with a headshake.

Max immediately remembered the first, and luckily only, moment when she had a real gun in her hands... Back in Arcadia Bay at the junkyard. Ah, memories... the moment on the railway just blazed through her eyes and felt the touch as Chloe touched her hand while walking on the rails, keeping the balance...

"No... it's just I hate guns..." She remembered using lightsaber on Stormtroopers five years ago, even she held it for the first time. Like, the first real one, but it looked like Max knew to use it perfectly, not getting anything cut away while swinging.

Han looked on Max's stressed face and lifted her by holding her chin and chuckled. "Trust the old vets, lady. This galaxy isn't for cowards and folk who can't take care of themselves."

With these words, the girl slowly took the weapon offered by the smuggler and carefully put it on her belt. With Han's help, of course.

Kyle checked Han and Max with a small look, with an unsure face and looked back to the metal door, slowly pulling away. "Ready, girl?" The jedi said without any special tone and stepped into the room, with Chewie and Han right behind him.

The young girl had a bad feeling about entering. It could be safe, she was talking to herself inside her head, but as well... it could be all a big trap, leading to death or, more uncomfortable, becoming the Emperor's blind lackey.

After being assured it is safe by Chewbacca's calling sounds, Max made a few steps into the room. It looked like the dark room she remembered really, really well... but the blue light combined with side lamps and computers assured her it is safe. For now.

Big, thick wires on the ground made Max nearly trip over them. The computers, looking big, blickered with red, blue and green lights. It seemed they were used for checking a medical condition...

Then, Max looked in the front. She saw the source of the strong, blue light.

Chloe.

She was in the massive tube, filled with water and a breathing mask on her mouth and nose. In her underwear and light medical shirt, there was a clear sign of a wound - slightly above her left breast, it looked like a lightsaber scar. Max briefly remembered on the nightmare she had before awakening into this reality...

A red light.

A girl killed.

Everything just played before her eyes, as she relived it. THe immersive amount of pain hit her heart. She could not believe Chloe was alive! It seemed like a good dream, but considering the real touch of a Wookie or the smuggler, standing next to her...

"Could she... be awaken?" The girl whispered to herself in the mind, touching the glass cylinder, full of bacta, with her fingertips. Max hoped Chloe could somehow show to all the people inside she is still breathing.

After a while, it looked like Chloe's hand was moving, but the medical droid reported to Kyle Katarn it is normal during the finalizing the Bacta Healing process. Max then sighed and looked sad on Han, while Chloe's right hand was still moving.

"Chloe...?"

Max slowly moved her hand towards Chloe's. Despite being divided by a glass cylinder, it feels like they were right each other, every barrier just dispersing in her thoughts. The brunette could feel it - Chloe was mentally awake, just her body was not ready to 'wake up' yet. But just that touch through the glass made the girl happy. She was sure her best friend, her love... was still there. She stood in the touch for another few seconds, before...

The red light filled the medical bay. Han and Kyle went outside the room and with attention flowing through their heads, were looking what caused the Home One's alarm to go crazy like that.

The old smuggler looked out from the window on the nebula. Suddenly, the sweat went from his forehead, sliding down his face. Too soon, too soon! Han said to himself.

...

"Sir, we have dispatched the Rebel Fleet. But by the sensors, they saw us too." An older officer with a bit dusty uniform reported to General Hux.

The General let out a slight grin out of his mouth. Without Thrawn or anyone from the Empire to 'snug' this prize from his hands, he felt immersive pleasure from the find. With the Grand Admiral's directions. But the blonde officer did not care. As long as the Agonizer would not fail in its task.

"Are they igniting the hyperspace?" Hux asked with a cold voice to his ensign, turning his head slightly towards him.

The old man looked into his datapad, swiping his fingers through it for a few seconds. With a calm face, he looked up on his superior and answered: "No, sir. They are not. For now. As I know the Rebels, they will try to escape as soon as possible."

"Very well, then." The General replied, standing closer to the bridge's window, his sight locked on the Rebels. His hands were jointed behind his back, giving Hux a stronger aura of a commander. He then, after a closer study of the Rebel Fleet, turned back to the crew and started giving orders.

"Release the fighter squadrons, let them deal with the rebel smaller crafts. Target the Agonizer's weapons on the capital ships, Mon Cal and the Defender. Engines first. We cannot allow them to escape with Emperor's Hand!"

With his officers in hurry and delivering orders, Hux was observing the soon-to-be-destroyed Rebel ships. This could remedy Starkiller... it will.


End file.
